Memories of Before
by mcanna
Summary: Meredith and Cristina left Seattle five years ago after the non-wedding. They are now returning to celebrate their friends graduation. A MerDer and Owina story.
1. Chapter 1 and 2

**Chapter 1  
****Present time**

Meredith is looking out through the small airplane window. She is going back to Seattle for the first time in 5 years.

**Five**** years ago**

She is standing in front of Cristina Yang and Preston Burks families and friends. It is on her to tell them that the wedding is off.

"It is over, so over" she says.

Derek is trying to catch her eyes as Preston's best man but she keeps her eyes on the floor. She walks back along the aisle and drives Cristina back to her apartment.

The following morning they are at the airport going to Hawaii on a non wedding trip. They walk for hours on the beach or sits in the sand talking about life and men. Cristina wants to pursue a career in cardio thorax and Meredith wants to go into neuro. They both agree on that this will be a problem because of their previous relationships with Derek Shepherd and Preston Burk.

"We could transfer to another hospital, like on the east coast."

"I'm not a east coast girl" says Cristina "and cardio sucks in L A."

"Neuro is good in N Y" says Meredith thinking that Derek had his education there. "We could go abroad" she continues "like London or Johannesburg."

"How good is your French?" Cristina asks Meredith.

"That was the only subject Ellis forced me to study and I practiced a lot on her many consultations around the world."

"Me too, it was important to mother and the only thing I agreed with."

"If we both speak French and we could go abroad and do our residency at Doctors without Boarders, the MSF. They have an excellent program and Ellis has contacts I can call."

**Chapter 2**

**Present time**

Cristina is once again passing Meredith's seat in a hurry for the restroom. She has been running there very often the last couple of days. Meredith hopes she'll get better soon so that they can have a fun time with Alex, George and Izzy. It is their graduation party. They will finally finish their residency. Cristina and herself did that almost 2 years ago, due to their program's faster and harder curriculum.

**Four years ago**

"Wake up Meredith, we are late. Our plane to Sudan leaves in 3 hours. We have to get going."

Meredith moans and rolls out of bed and makes a run for the bathroom. Tequila is so much more fun in the evening than it is in the morning after. Cristina brings her a bottle of water and some pain killers.

"Thank you. I will never drink again."

"You can't since where we are going, there is no alcohol. Get your ass into the shower and get ready. The cab leaves in 30 minutes."

When Meredith runs into the kitchen, she gets a coffee mug from Cristina. They make it in time for their plane.

Their hard work during their first year with the MSF pays off during the following years. Cristina finishes her residency in cardio thorax and Meredith in neuro. They are excellent general surgeons as well. There are always more patients than they have time to tend to. The MSF, works all over the world and only with people that really have no other options. They usually work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 4 weeks and then they have a 2 week vacation. Those two weeks are usually spent at a resort or in their apartment in Geneva. They eat, sleep, drink and pick up random men.

Cristina met an American doctor during one of these vacations. His name is Major Dr Owen Hunt.


	2. Chapter 3 and 4

**Chapter 3**

**Present time**

Meredith turns around in her seat and asks Owen.

"Do you think Cristina has the flu? She has been claiming that but neither you nor I have got it and no one we knows. I would like to do some test on her. Can you pursue her to it?"

Cristina returns and curls into a ball in Owen's arms. Everyone but Cristina knows that Cristina loves Owen as much as Owen loves her.

**Four weeks ago**

"Did you get the email from Alex?" Meredith asks Cristina.

"Yeah, do you want to go?"

"I don't know, it would be fun seeing them but it is a long trip, almost half way around the world."

"Yeah, but we can show Bailey what superior surgeons we become."

"I would really like to see Bailey. Let's make reservations today."

"I'll do it. I just need to speak with Owen."

"OK, I'll see you on site in a few."

Meredith walks towards the car waiting for her. She is thinking about Dr Derek Shepherd, chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. He became chief a year after she left. She had heard from Izzy that he is dating a scrub nurse. She wonders how it will be to see him again.

When she arrives at site she has no time to think about anything but sick, hurt and wounded people. Why can't people stop fighting? Here in Darfur people are starving and still trying to kill each other.

"Grey, I got something for you." Dr Hunt yells.

Here there are no pagers. If you want someone you yell or send someone after the person. She runs over and sees a young boy shot in his back. The bullet has passed the spine and maybe will she be able to save him from being paralyzed. She sends him to the OR and starts scrubbing in. Today is a good day since he arrived so early in the day that maybe they have daylight during the whole surgery. Spinal work in bad lightning is never fun or successful. She gets one of the new residents to help her out. He is pretty good at neuro but usually gets sloppy after more then six hours of surgery. She keeps that in her mind and sends him away after six hours. She finishes off by herself with the help of a scrub nurse. The nurse has also been keeping an eye at the anaesthetics. Here you do more then in an American hospital and you usually go in blind. She remembers going in blind on a spinal injury with Derek. She couldn't believe he would do that and now it is common practice for her. You use everything you can but in the end it is your gut feeling that tells you what to do. The boy makes it through surgery and might get lucky.

**Chapter 4**

**Present time**

"Please put your seats in an upright position. We will be landing in ten minutes."

They are here were it all started. Meredith puts her magazine in her purse and tries to relax. She is no fan of landing.

Owen and Meredith picks up their bags while Cristina visits the restroom again. Meredith is scanning the welcoming crowd trying to find Alex when she feels some arms wrapping her into a hug from behind. She turns and there is Alex. He looks at her and marvels at her look. She looks so much like she did before. Alex, she thinks, looks more mature. Not as much as a daredevil as he did five years ago.

"Where is Izzy?"

"She doesn't know that you are coming. I've kept you as a surprise. Where is Cristina?"

"She is coming with her own surprise. They are over there." She point at a couple standing a few feet away. "Owen this is Dr Alex Karev, Alex this is Major Dr Owen Hunt Christina's what so ever."

Alex and Owen exchanges greetings, until Cristina barks.

"I want to go now."

Alex laughs "And Cristina is still Cristina. Are you still Meredith?"

"Yeah, I'm still dark and twisty."

"Izzy, I brought you something." Alex yells at the door of Meredith's house, where they still live together with Dr George O'Malley.

"I'll be right there. I just got home, my surgery took forever."

Alex motions to Meredith, Cristina and Owen to go and sit in the kitchen and stay quiet. Cristina makes a dash for the downstairs bathroom. Owen and Meredith looks at each other a shake their heads. She will be next on their agenda. They can hear Izzy as she runs downstairs.

"What did you bring me? Pizza or Chinese? I'm starving."

She dashes through the door and comes to a shrieking halt. Her eyes go wide.

"Hi, surprise." Meredith says.

"You're here, you're back." She stutters as the smile grows on her face. "Meredith" she says and throws herself around Meredith's neck. "I can't believe it." Meredith hugs her back and takes a step back.

"I want you to meet Major Dr Owen Hunt. Owen this is Dr Isobel Izzy Stevens." Owen stands up and shakes her hand. Izzy's eyes dashes between Meredith and Owen.

"Is he your, are you two…" she trails off as the kitchen door opens behind her. Without turning around she says.

"George, look what Alex brought home. Meredith and …" she gets cut off by Cristina.

"He is not Meredith's he is mine." Izzy turns around and tries to hug her as well but Cristina is still no hugger. She glides away as the expert she is and sits down by Owen's side. Izzy turns to Alex.

"For how long have you known they were coming?"

"Since I invited them a couple of weeks ago and they said yes." He smiles at Izzy. "I'm starving, shall we order in or are you guys up for Joe's?"

"I would love to go to Joe's but what about you Cristina?"

Cristina claims to be better so Alex and Owen bring their bags in from the car. Cristina and Owen get to sleep in the den downstairs and Meredith gets her old bedroom. Not much has changed since she packed her stuff five years ago. She puts her few belongings away and heads for the shower. When she emerges has Izzy been there with clean beddings, Within 30 minutes are they all downstairs. Alex has called George to meet them at Joe's.


	3. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Present time**

Derek Shepherd is sitting behind his desk and looks at his watch and sighs. He should be out of here in an hour or so. Post-op notes had to be signed, OR-board checked for tomorrow and diplomas signed for the graduating residents.

Meanwhile Meredith is slowly descending the stairs to Joe's. She looks over her shoulder at Seattle Grace Hospital. It looks just the same as five years ago. Is Derek sitting in his office or is he in the OR? She cuts her thoughts and follows her friends into the bar. She can hear the doorbell and then Alex shouts for Joe. Izzy has already found an empty table in the far back corner. They sit down before Joe has the possibility to get there.

"Look whom I brought" Alex says.

"Yeah, look at us" Cristina says with a smirk.

"Grey, Yang, your back! And you brought a friend as well I see." He hugs them both and gets introduced to Owen,

"What brings you guys into town?"

"Graduation party"

"Tonight is everything on the house. What do you want?"

"Food" Meredith says "and a beer."

"No tequila?"

"Not yet, anyway. I am starving."

Derek pulls the diplomas closer and starts signing them. He read the names on the papers and his mind starts wandering. Two names are missing, names he really miss.

**Five years ago**

"Today your interns will be back" he says to Dr Miranda Bailey.

"Not all of them" she mutters "and they are not my interns anymore."

"What didn't they all make it?"

"Yes and no, O'Malley is redoing his intern year and Grey and Yang has transferred." She sends him an evil stare.

"Transferred" he can't really wrap his mind around that concept. Meredith is mot coming back. The love of his life is no longer here.

"Where to, where did they transfer to?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask the chief."

Derek turns around an almost stumbles over the pretty dark haired girl from Joe's that hit on him during Preston's bachelor party. Her eyes are wide and she says.

"Sorry but I overheard your talking. Is Dr Grey transferring?

"Why is that any concern to you?" Derek asks her.

"She's my sister, half sister and I have always wanted to meet her." She takes a look at Derek and says. "You're the guy from the bar."

"Yeah, I am and I work here. I'm Derek Shepherd."

"Oh, I was to get you for a consult."

After his shift is over Derek looks for the chief Dr Richard Webber. He doesn't know more about the transfer then that they both picked up their papers a week earlier. Derek drives to Meredith's house but Izzy only knows that they have left and didn't say where to. He drives to their spot and sits there for hours looking at the ferryboats. His mind can't comprehend that she left. He feels all numb and lost. Meredith is gone. It is over.

**Present time**

George O'Malley arrives at Joe's and sees and hears a loud party going on in the far most corner. It looks like the very old time when the five interns where throwing a party at Joe's. Walking closer he realizes that it is exactly what's going on. Meredith and Cristina are really sitting there. He sends Joe a questionable look and gets a huge smile back along with his beer.

"George" Meredith squeaks and jumps up to hug him.

"007" Cristina smirks.

"He is not 007 anymore" Izzy claims. "He is a very good general surgeon."

When Derek signs George O'Malley's diploma he is remembers when George got the opportunity to redo his intern test during a flood of the surgical floor. George scored top result anyway. Derek's phone rings. He looks at the display and sends it to voicemail. Rose again, this would be the tenth call today. He decides to go to Joe's for a drink instead.

Meredith, Cristina and Owen starts early to show signs that they are tired. They have been travelling for close to 24 hours and have passed 10 time zones. They all decide to make it an early night and stumbles towards the car. Meredith is the last to climb in. She gets to sit in Georges lap and giggles as the door close.

Derek is just stepping out of his car when hears a giggle he hasn't heard in a long time but there is no one around. He orders scotch single malt at the bar and sips it. It is getting late and he should get home to Rose but he doesn't want to. He remembered how easy it was when he had Meredith. She didn't crave things. She wasn't into things. She didn't even know how to shop for groceries. They ate at Joe's, ordered in or made pasta at home or went out to a nice restaurant. They were happy with each other and their friends. Where did she go? What specialty did she choose? He had tried to find her but no signs of either her or Yang anywhere.

Meredith stumbles downstairs to the kitchen in search for coffee. She finds George there at the table. He remembers her morning habit and hands her a mug before continuing reading the paper. She finishes the coffee and looks into the fridge for food. There is leftover pizza and she grabs a piece and looks at George with a question in her eyes. He nods and mutters something about a day before yesterday. Cold pizza is something she only eaten a handful of times during the last couple of years.

"What are your plans for today? George wonders.

"I don't know. The party is tomorrow, right?

"Yeah, it starts at 11 am with a ceremony in the auditorium. The party will be at the hospital and then continue at Joe's."

"I'll speak with Cristina and Owen and we'll decide what to do today. Are you working?"

"Yeah but I'm home around 10 pm. Shepherd has us all to end shift tonight."

"Is he a good chief?"

"Yeah, but he does a lot of surgeries. He has an assistant so he doesn't need to do all the paperwork by himself."

"Maybe we can come visiting you today since you all are on leave after graduation."

Derek wakes up by his cell phone. He answers without looking at the display.

"Good morning honey, where are you?"

He looks around and realizes that he is in the trailer. If he tells Rose that, she will nag him for the rest of the week so he claims.

"It got late and I slept on my coach."

"I'm walking towards your office right now, see you in a second."

"No. I'm at Mercy West now, early meeting with their chief of surgery."

He is getting used to lie about his whereabouts to Rose. She is lovely but the last year she had been dropping not so subtle hints about marriage. He doesn't know if he wants a new marriage. Rose seems to want something similar to the marriage he had with Addison. He steps into the tiny shower and lets the hot water pour over his head. Blindly he reaches out for the shampoo and pours some into his hand. The aroma of lavender surrounds him. Memories of Meredith in the shower hit him. The bendy thing makes him in need of a cold shower. He has not been able to throw her shampoo and conditioner out and it hasn't been necessary since he never taken another woman to the trailer. Not even Rose. The trailer is where he goes fishing and thinking by himself. Sometimes Mark Sloan is with him or Mark and Addison but no one else is allowed to visit his trailer. He dresses in clothes he keep at the trailer and leaves to catch a ferryboat.

Cristina continues puking through out the morning and Meredith corners her in the bathroom.

"You need to take a pregnancy test."

"I'm not pregnant. I can't be pregnant."

"Why so, don't you and Owen have sex?"

"Yeah, but we always use protection."

"Owen is out right now buying a test for you and you shall take it before we leave for lunch." Meredith stares at Cristina before turning and leaving the room.

Owen returns and Cristina takes the test. She walks into the kitchen carrying the results, sits down and cries.

"Positive" Meredith says.

"Negative" Owen says at the same time.

Meredith carefully releases the test from her hand. Two blue parallel lines, positive. She hands it to Owen who looks at it and then at Cristina. He pulls her onto his lap and cradles her. Kisses her temple and whispers to her.

"What do you want to do?"


	4. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Present time**

Meredith, Cristina and Owen make it a slow morning and decide to go to Seattle Grace Hospital for lunch with their friends. It is a familiar feeling to walk into the hospital. There are some curious looks in their direction when they pass by. The hospital gossip will start ASAP when people start to recognize them. They reach the nurses' station at the surgical floor. The nurses look at them with questions in their eye.

"Hi, can you please page Dr O'Malley, Dr Karev or Dr Stevens?"

From behind they hear steps and a well known voice.

"Dr Grey and Dr Yang, what do you think you are doing?"

They look at each other and turn around to look at the woman speaking with equally bright smiles.

"Dr Bailey" they both exclaim "we are just visiting." Meredith continues. Dr Miranda Bailey steps forward and gives them each a big hug.

"Where have you been? Are you doctors? Where do you work? You just left without a word."

"We work for Doctors without Boarders, the MSF, together with Major Dr Owen Hunt, trauma surgeon, over there. We just returned from Darfur where we have been stationed the last couple of months. We are surgeons, attendings since a year back. Cristina in cardio and I'm in neuro, we are also general surgeons. Owen, this is the famous Dr Miranda Bailey."

They exchange greetings and then Dr Bailey turns back to them.

"What are you doing here, today?"

"We came to have lunch with George, Alex and Izzy."

"Alex is in surgery with Shepherd, it will be a couple of hours more but the other two are somewhere around."

Izzy is just coming around the corner and greets them with a smile. They all go to the cafeteria. Bailey is full of questions and they answer them all. It is a comforting feeling being there, sitting in a corner, watching familiar faces eating lunch. Some people recognize them but not as many as it could have been.

Cristina is having a private conversation with Izzy and they both excuse themselves after Cristina has whispered something in Owen's ear. George and Owen heads for the pit and Bailey takes Meredith back to the surgical floor.

"Want to watch from the gallery?"

"Is there any neuro?"

"Let's see if the spina bifida is finished yet."

They move into the gallery over OR 1. Dr Derek Shepherd is working on the skin graft. They take their seats in the back row. Alex is sitting by the side waiting for Shepherd to finish his part. He notices the movement in the gallery and looks up. Meredith waves to him and he waves back. Shepherd notice that Alex is waving.

"Fan club in the gallery, Dr Karev?" he asks.

"You could say that."

"Tell Dr Stevens to flirt with you outside the OR."

"It is not her" Alex replies. Meredith is making faces to him and he can't help but laughing out loud.

"What's so funny?"

"Just the gallery, Dr Shepherd." The nurses are also looking into the gallery but they can't see anything. It looks normal.

"Stop fooling around, Dr Grey!" Bailey whispers with a smile on her face. They keep whispering with their heads close together. Dr Shepherd finishes his part and can finally look up into the gallery. He sees a blond petit woman talking to Dr Bailey but he can't see her face but she seems familiar. The strange part is that she is dressed in street clothes and civilians are not allowed up there. He scrubs out and decides to check it out but before entering the gallery he gets a 911 from the pit.

It is O'Malley with a car crash victim. O'Malley is also with a civilian, a man in his late 30th. The man is tanned and has experienced eyes. O'Malley makes the introductions. Dr Shepherd this is trauma surgeon Major Dr Owen Hunt who works for Doctors without Boarders. He is visiting me for a couple of days. Dr Hunt this is chief of surgery neuro surgeon Dr Derek Shepherd.

"Prepare an OR for craniotomy while this woman gets an MRI."

"You are as effective as my neuro surgeon." Owen comments. O'Malley looks at him with a smirk that Shepherd catches. He wonders what that means.

In the meantime Cristina and Izzy makes it to the neonatal floor and finds an empty exam room with an ultra sound machine. Izzy draws some blood from Cristina and then asks her to lay back. She puts some gel on Cristina's stomach and starts the ultra sound. She can see the fetus very close to the ovarian tube. That makes her a little worried and she wants Addison to take a look. Izzy beeps Addison and she arrives within a couple of minutes. She stops on the doorstep starring at Cristina. Cristina looks at her and greets her.

"Dr Montgomery"

Addison corrects her with a smile.

"Dr Montgomery Sloan, what are you doing here Dr Yang?"

"Well Izzy can explain why she wanted you to come."

Izzy starts explaining why and shows the ultra sound since Addison was the surgeon that operated on Cristina after her miscarriage more than five years ago.

"What are you doing here in Seattle?"

"I came to celebrate Izzy's graduation."

"Where do you study?"

"I'm already an attending in cardio and general surgery and I work for Doctors without Boarders. I came from Darfur yesterday."

"I have heard that they have a very extensive residential program."

"Yeah, I became an attending last year with double specialties."

"How long will you stay here in Seattle?"

"Until next week, we have a two week vacation every fourth week."

Addison continues with the exam and prescribes something against morning sickness. She wonders who we are.

The three visiting surgeons meet in the lobby and decide to go to Joe's and talk.

Derek scrubs out after his last surgery, changes into street clothes and walks to Joe's. He notices a large crowd in the corner but sits down by the bar and orders his regular drink. A pair of arms wraps around him from behind and then Rose snuggles under his arm.

"Would you like to buy me a drink sweetheart?"

No he thinks but nods his head.

"Joe, a Cosmo for Rose, please."

"Derek, we should start planning our vacation this summer. I would like to fly away to an exotic place with a long white beach."

"I'm planning a fishing trip with Mark." Derek lies. He would like to stay a fourth-night in the trailer all by himself.

"You can't be fishing all our vacation. What about us? We need to do something more permanent. I'm not getting any younger and if we shall have kids we need to start soon."

Kids, he want kids but not her kids. Meredith would be the perfect mother of his kids. A girl looking like Meredith would be adorable.

"Are you asking me for a ring?"

"Yes, we have been dating for more then two years and been living in our apartment for more then one and a half year. Don't you think it is time we move forward, sweetheart? We could go home and practise on making a baby right now and this weekend we could look for a house."

Meredith felt the moment Derek entered Joe's and her eyes never left him. He looked the same. She watches the nurse crawl all over him. He doesn't look pleased. He never shows any emotions towards the nurse. He just sits there nursing his drink. Her friends decide to go home so they wouldn't be tired in the morning. They all passes right behind Derek and Rose.

Suddenly, is Derek surrounded by lavender, he closes his eyes and inhales once more. It is still there but mixed with the perfume Rose use. He feels disappointed. He looks after the people leaving Joe's and that petit woman from the gallery is there. The man from the ER is there as well. He throws some bills on the disk and runs for the door. Rose looks stunned after him. He sprints up the stairs and sees Dr Hunt getting in a car with George. Another car passes by with Dr Karev at the wheel. He can't se more then a blond hair in the backseat.


	5. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Present time**

The graduating doctors took their seats in the front rows in the auditorium. Meredith, Cristina and Owen choose seats in the back. The rest of the seats are being filled up with familiar faces. Dr Webber is on the stage along with Derek and members of the board. They look very distinguished in their robs. The head of the board greeted everyone and talked about this happy occasion. Dr Webber talks about their first years as interns and residents and then it is Derek who talks about their last couple of years and their future as fellows. His eyes sweeps over the graduating doctors and then the rest of the audience. His eyes passes Meredith.

Meredith is here.... It takes a second for his brain to register what he saw... He lost his word. His eyes backtracks to find her again... His eyes find hers and he stares at her... She looks down, breaks the connection. He looks at his notes and finds his words again and finishes the speech. They start to hand out the diplomas and his eyes return to her but she doesn't look at him again. She is looking at her friends. He looks at the woman sitting beside her, Cristina Yang and next to Cristina is Dr Hunt. Meredith looks beautiful with golden hair and sun kissed skin dressed in a tight black dress. The ceremony comes to an end and he can't get off the stage soon enough. As soon as he descends Rose is there clinging to his arm.

"You were astonishing, you look so powerful up there" she says. He doesn't listen to her, he only has eyes for Meredith but he looses her in the crowd. Proud parents wants pictures taken with him and their own doctor and he has to oblige. Rose can't at least hang on his arm then. His eyes never stop looking for Meredith.

Meredith looks for Dr Webber as an escape route from Derek. She knows that Derek will do almost anything to speak to her and that conversation is not going to be short or easy. They still had that connection between them and he is with Rose. The woman was clinging to him, never leaving his side, smiling, touching and looking like a wife. Mark and Addison walks up to the couple. Rose doesn't seem to like it but keeps on clinging to Derek. Derek gives them a smile and leans in to give Addison a kiss on her cheek. Neither one gives Rose any attention. Derek unwraps Rose from him and pulls Mark away to speak with him alone and Addison leaves for the buffet. Rose is standing there all alone.

"Meredith you look beautiful" Dr Webber says.

"So do you."

"Congratulations, I heard from Bailey that you are a neurosurgeon and a general surgeon as well and that you have been an attending for more then a year. Please tell me more" he says and gives her a hug.

Derek sees that Meredith is talking to Richard and crosses the room. He is stopped by Rose who wants his company at the buffet. He declines and looks back to where Meredith and Richard are talking but Meredith is gone. The next time he sees her she is talking to Addison and Mark. He makes a beeline for them but this time Mrs. Webber stops him for a hug. Rose comes back with two plates and hands him one. A lot of food he doesn't eat is stacked on it. He sighs and makes a decision.

"Can you please come with me?" he asks Rose.

She looks at him with a bright smile when he pulls her towards his office.

Meredith is happy to talk to Mark and Addison. She is really happy for the both of them and whispers in Mark's ear.

"The DM-club can finally be put to rest now." He doesn't agree.

"You are not married yet, to Derek."

"He is with that clingy nurse."

She watches as Derek leaves the room with Rose, as does Mark and Addison.

"Don't put your money on that" Addison says.

Derek pulls Rose into his office. She starts to touch him, tries to kiss him but he turns away. When he turns back and faces her again she looks confused.

"What's up, honey?

"I want a break, a pause. You want marriage and I'm not so sure that it is what I want. I need time to think about this."

Rose's face turns red and she starts yelling.

"Is this because of that slut Meredith Grey? Your scrub nurse told me yesterday that she was in the gallery with Bailey all smiling and happy during your spina bifida!"

It was Meredith in the gallery with Bailey, she was the one making Alex laugh. She had watched his surgery. It makes him feel all warm inside. He looks at Rose again.

"No" he answers, "I haven't seen her before today and not spoken to her for more then five years. This break has nothing to do with her being in Seattle. It is just a coincident. This decision is made because of my feelings for you over the last couple of months."

"I don't believe you" cries Rose. "We are perfect for each other."

"Maybe I am perfect for you but I am not sure you are perfect for me. I'll be staying at the trailer for a while and I will fetch some stuff from the apartment later today." His voice is final, there are no emotions. Rose throws herself at him kicking, hitting, biting and tearing in his suit. She scratches his cheek before he can get hold of her hands.

"Stop it! You are making a fool out of yourself!"

He pushes her down on the coach and she falls into a sobbing heap.

Derek's office phone starts ringing as well as his cell phone and his beeper. The beeper says 911 in the pit. He answers his cell phone. It is the nurse in the trauma bay. It has been a school shooting and at least 40 people are on their way to Seattle Grace Hospital with varying injuries. There is a knock on his door and the door opens before he answers and his assistant comes in.

"The police are on line 1 and it is urgent."

Rose hears it as well and gives him a glare and stumbles out.

"Page all surgeons to the pit and notify the ER. Clear the board, we are on high alert, Code 1, follow procedure."

He is changing, as he speaks to the police, into scrubs and takes off running towards the reception area.

"Listen up people, we have a Code 1 and all hands will be needed. Shotgun victims from a school shooting ETA 10 minutes."

Bailey makes her way towards him as the rest of the surgeons, old and new, takes off towards the locker rooms. If you need more experienced hands you should clear Dr Grey, Dr Yang and Dr Hunt. They have more experience with this kind of injuries than all of the rest of us combined."

He looks at her with questions in his eyes.

"What are their specialties?"

"You should ask them yourself, they are over there."

She nods at someone behind his back so he turns and there they are, all three together.

Derek and Bailey walks up to them, he with questions in his eyes. Owen steps forward and asks.

"Can we be of any help?"

"What can you do, what are your specialty?"

"I'm a trauma and general surgeon" Owen answers.

"I'm a cardio thorax and general surgeon" Cristina answers.

"I'm a neuro and general surgeon" Meredith answers.

"Are you still residents?"

"No, Cristina and I are attendings since last year. Owen is our boss." Meredith pulls out an Id from her purse and hands it to him. Doctors without Boarders that is why Bailey said they could help.

"Do you also have your Id?" Cristina and Owen hands him theirs as well.

"OK, go tell my assistant to clear you for surgery and to show you where you can get clean navy scrubs and shoes. Meet me in the pit."

He hands them their Id back. When he hands Meredith hers, his and her hands touch. It feels like an electrical shock. She turns and follows Cristina and Owen as Derek and Bailey makes it to the pit. It is almost empty as most patients have been moved to the clinic where interns are working on the less severe cases. When the door opens they can hear the ambulances arriving.


	6. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Present time**

When Meredith, Cristina and Owen arrive to the pit it is swamped with patients. Most of them are under the age of 18, there are a couple of teacher with them as well. Some are hurt and bleeding. Some are there just to comfort the students. The trauma nurse is trying to get some kind of order but it is in vain. No one is listening to her. Owen sees his work cut out for him and gives a shout. He introduces himself and starts to organize patients, accompanied personal, parents that are starting to arrive, the police and journalists. In just a couple of minutes there is some kind of order and the medics can work easier doing triage. Cristina is trying to tamponade a bleeding chest and orders a OR stat. She is the first surgeon in the OR. Meredith hears head wound and runs over as well as Derek does. They arrive at the same time. Meredith starts to examine but Derek takes over. The patient needs a craniotomy as the bullet is still in the scull. Meredith leaves and he watches as she is examining a spinal injury. It looks like she knows what she is doing so he stays with his patient. They both go into the OR.

"Are you ready for this?" he asks.

"I did one last week." she answers while scrubbing in. She feels slightly annoyed that he is looking over her shoulder. No one has questioned her skill in many years. "I have done close to a hundred during the last year."

He looks at her a little embarrassed when he realizes she is not his intern any more.

"What? In war, people shot at each other. A lot of those bullets end up in the head or the spine."

He looks at her and shakes his head when she leaves for her OR. She is amazing.

Meredith looks up from her work as the door opens. It is Derek.

"Do you need any help?" he asks.

"No, I'm good. Thank you."

She continues her work and he stands there for a while looking at her. He is amazed by her work.

"Go, save some life. We'll finish up in here in an hour or so."

He leaves for the pit.

Meredith thinks it feels strange working with so much equipment and so much personal but it makes her work so much easier and she is happy. She does two more surgeries back to back. When she scrubs out from the last one she is in need of a break. She grabs a coffee and a muffin and goes looking for an empty bed. It doesn't take long for her to fall a sleep.

Cristina is down in the pit looking for another surgery. There are still victims arriving from the school. It is some kind of hostage situation and the shooter aims for anyone that moves. She sees Owen scrubbing out before the next ambulance arrives.

"ETA 3 minutes" the trauma nurse calls. Cristina catches up with him outside the doors. He looks at her smiling.

"Hi, have you had any rest, eaten anything?"

"Yeah, I've taken 15 minutes between every patient. I plan to sleep in a couple of hours."

"Good but remember death rate tends to rise when the surgeon is tired."

"I've done three surgeries and they are all in recovery. I'm not planning to kill anyone."

"I didn't mean to offend you. It is just that I am worried because of your condition." He leans into her and gives her a quick kiss. She stares at him and says.

"We need to talk later."

The ambulance arrives and Owen takes charge. It is a TV-reporter that is bleeding from multiple gunshots.

Derek has overheard the conversation as he is sitting on the bench outside having a break. He wonders about Cristina's condition. It is amazing to watch how well Dr Hunt and Dr Yang work together. Not much is said it is more like they can read each others mind. Meredith has done three spinal surgeries during the last 12 hours. He has been sneaking peaks as much as possible. It is amazing to see her work and she looks stunning in her navy scrubs, hot. He wants to pull her into any secluded area and pull the scrubs off. Kiss her collarbone and the spot on her neck that drives her crazy. He is leaning back daydreaming about sex with Meredith when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"Chief, you need a cold shower."

"What" he says and looks up into Mark's laughing face.

"You need to straighten yourself up."

Derek leans forward trying to hide his crotch.

"Seen any hot, blonde neurosurgeons lately?" Sloan continues with a smirk "you have been watching many neurosurgeries in the last couple of hours."

"So what, I am a neurosurgeon."

"And there is this hot neurogirl in the OR. What will Rose say when she finds out?"

"We are taking a break. I told her that just before all this started."

"Good, good for you. You have to consider your options."

They sit there for a while just breathing the dawn in.

"Coffee?" Mark asks.

"Yeah, please."

They both walk back into the hospital. Derek stops in the ER and looks around. It is still crowded with patients waiting but everything seems under control. Dr Hunt is supervising residents and interns and everyone seems to know what they are doing. He has never seen the pit like this before. Mark brings him coffee and they move up to the surgical floor and takes a look at the surgical board. The OR is swamped for at least 24 more hours. Derek wonders where Meredith is. She is not in the OR right now and she is not in the pit. She is scheduled for later. Derek's pager goes off. It is the pit again.

It is Dr Hunt wondering about protocol. The wounded reporter wants the camera team to record when they work on him. Derek calls his assistant to deal with the hospital lawyer. He allows the camera as long as they promise not to broadcast anything before the lawyers agree. They also have to stay way out of the way for the medical staff. Dr Yang and Dr Bailey will perform the surgery together with Dr O'Malley.

Rose is mad. She is getting back to work after a six hour break. She has worked for nine hours and went home to rest. Derek has not even looked at her during those nine hours. In the apartment is she walking around throwing, smashing knick-knacks. How dare he ask for a break when everything is so close to setting a wedding date? The part that they are not engaged slips from her mind. In her mind they are engaged. They just haven't had the engagement party and therefore does she not have a ring. Yet. As she dresses for work she hopes to be in his OR this shift. Yesterday she worked in one of the smaller OR with a 5th year resident on minor cases.

The TV-reporter is taken to OR 1 so the camera team can take their pictures from the gallery.


	7. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Present time**

Meredith wakes up after 3 hours and decides to round on her post-op patients before checking on new ones. All her patients are doing as expected. Two can be moved to their rooms and one to the ICU. She searches for the families and gives them the update. A mother starts crying and Meredith takes her time to comfort her.

Derek is walking by the waiting area when he hears the crying and Meredith's soothing voice. She is good at the family contact. It is easy to see that she cares. She rises and tells the family once again the room numbers and starts to leave the waiting area. She sees that Derek is looking at her and she hesitates but with a deep breath she continues walking towards him. He has been watching parts of every surgery she has been performing during the night and now he is hovering.

"I am a qualified neurosurgeon. You don't need to watch my every step."

"Sorry but you amaze me."

They walk towards the elevator together in silence. When the door opens and they wait for the passengers to disembark neither one notice that Rose is one of the passengers. Rose pushes forward to reach them but they get on the elevator and the door closes before Rose has a chance to say anything.

They are alone in the elevator and it feels uncomfortable. Derek is staring into her green eyes and she stares back into his blue ones. The car stops with a ding and in walks Mark and starts laughing.

"Old times, old memories, just like old times."

They break eye contact and stares at him instead.

"What old times?" Derek asks with flushed cheeks.

"You and Grey in the elevator. That is just like the old times."

The elevator stops in the lobby and the three doctors all embark and turns towards the pit. Derek and Mark's pager goes off at the same time and both start running towards the pit.

"Are you coming Grey?"

She follows them quickly.

"ETA 7 minutes, the shooter, fell through a window after shooting himself in the head. Five more victims with different wounds ETA 8 to 10 minutes. These are the last ones." The trauma nurse reports. Derek has been on his phone the whole time but hangs up and looks around.

"Shooter will be escorted by the police at all time, keep him separated from the victims."

Meredith scrubs in to be able to asses the new patients as they arrive. Owen walks by and pulls her into a tight hug.

"Are you OK?" he asks and looks into her eyes.

"Yeah, I just had three hours of sleep."

He studies her face a little longer and can see that she is tired but not too tired. She is OK. He gives her another hug, a peck on her cheek and a smile. Derek is looking at them jealously. He envies Dr Hunt for his relationship with Meredith and wonders how close friends they are. He thought that Cristina was Owen's girlfriend. But he wasn't sure now when he saw the intimacy between Meredith and Owen and the look Owen gave Meredith.

"Where is Cristina?" Meredith asks.

"OR with Dr O'Malley, Dr Bailey and a camera team."

"Nice, she must love all the attention."

The first ambulance arrives and Owen leaps into action.

"Trauma 1, close the blinds" he orders and follows the gurney into the room.

The next ambulance is coming and he calls.

"Grey this is for you and Dr Shepherd, both spine and head. The rest follow me."

Meredith and Derek enters the room side by side. Derek does a neuro exam while Meredith listens to the paramedics and starts to evaluate the patient. X-rays are taken and CT is ordered. They can't use the MRI since the bullet is still in the neck of the patient. A large piece of glass is sticking out of his abdomen and they can't take it out without causing severe bleeding.

"OR, ASAP" Derek orders. "Are you in?"

"Yeah, the spine is probably hurt as well."

The patient is brought to the CT and Derek and Meredith grabs some coffee and a sandwich on their way to OR2. It will be a long surgery. They are both scrubbing in as the patient is transferred to the table. Both walks to the screens to evaluate the scans and make a plan of action.

"I'll start with the neck" Derek says "and then I move back along the track of the bullet to stop the bleeding.

"I'll start by pulling the piece of glass out and he will probably loose his spleen and a kidney. I'll have to start with him on his back and when I have done what is possible we turn him and you can start with the neck and I'll do the spine."


	8. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Present time**

The patient is prepared, there is a police outside the OR and hospital security is keeping the journalists away.

"I am Dr Meredith Grey. Let's save this man."

Meredith starts procedure and asks for a ten blade with her hand outstretched, her focus is on the patient. Derek is standing back just admiring her and her work. He moves his focus to the scrub nurse at Meredith's side. It is Rose and she is not happy. He can see her angry eyes looking at Meredith but her work is as a textbook procedure. The shooter's spleen and kidney is removed and his bowl repaired along with some smaller cuts.

Meredith only uses a handful of all the assessable equipment. She is using unfamiliar methods that are different but as good as any he has ever seen. It triggers his curiosity and he steps up to the table and starts asking questions.

"Are you questioning my skills?"

"No just admiring new techniques. It would be interesting to teach our residents them. Where did you study?"

"Geneva for the first six month, and then at different sites around the world with surgeons from all over the world."

"You travel a lot?" Rose asks.

Meredith looks surprised at her. "Yes I do."

Rose seems content with that answer but sees a chance to show Meredith who Derek belongs to.

"Derek, we should go abroad on our vacation." She says with a smile under her mask. Derek stares at her, he doesn't like the insinuation she is giving. He decides using his old lie.

"You know that I am going fishing with Dr Sloan."

"You know that Dr Montgomery Sloan won't let him fish for two weeks. We can go after."

Derek can see that Meredith feels uncomfortably with this topic and he tries to change it back to the MSF.

"Where are you stationed right now, Meredith?"

"Darfur" is her short answer.

Meredith didn't like were Rose took the topic. She didn't like her cutting into the conversation at all.

"Please close for me" she asks her assisting resident. "I need a break until the patient is turned."

She steps away from the table and tries to work out some tension in her neck.

"How long do I have until the patient is turned?" she asks the head nurse.

"About 15 minutes, Dr Grey."

"I'll be back" she says and heads for the door to the scrub room.

The first part of the surgery has taken two and a half hour and it is at least three hours left. While dropping her gloves and gown she asks for the number to the pit. An intern dials for her and she asks for Dr Hunt. While waiting for him she starts to scrub out. The intern is holding the phone. When Owen answers she asks the intern to tell Dr Hunt to meet her outside the scrub room ASAP. She needs him.

Derek has been following her doings and is not happy when she asks for Dr Hunt. Derek can't leave with her since there has to be an attending surgeon in the room when the patient is in such a bad condition. He wonders what Dr Hunt can do for her, what she needs of him. When the patient is being turned he has a chance to speak with Rose without embarrassing her in front of the others.

"Rose, can I speak with you please" he motions to her to follow him into a far back corner.

"What is it Derek?"

"What are you insinuating about vacations?" he whispers to her. "We are having a pause in our relationship."

"This pause will not last until vacation." Rose says with a smirk. "Dr Grey will be long gone by then."

Derek stares at her.

"This pause has nothing to do with Dr Grey. It has everything to do with us."

Owen hurries up to the surgical floor and finds Meredith stretching her arms and legs.

"How are you doing?" he asks a little worried by her call.

"I'm fine and little bit mad because of the scrub nurse, but it is nothing I can't handle. I need you to give me your famous five minutes backrub. I don't have more time before I have to go back for part two."

He smiles brightly at her and starts rubbing her back while she is laying on a gurney. She moans when he hits her knots. Some nurses and residents with interns walk by and they give them curious looks that Owen intercepts.

"We are going to be the gossip for the day."

"Good"

"Your five minutes is up, Mer" Owen says after a while.

"Please don't stop, I'll pay you with sexual favours if you continue."

Just then a nurse looks out from the scrub room.

"The patient is ready in five minutes, Dr Grey."

"Have to go, thank you" she smiles and kisses his cheek before running back into the scrub room.

Owen decides to watch the surgery for a while. It is time for a break anyhow. He finds a seat in the front row and sits down and studies the room. Dr Shepherd is having an intense conversation with a nurse in a far back corner. When Meredith enters the room and gets a new gown and gloves he leaves the nurse behind and walks up to the table.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, just needed a backrub."

The nurses are talking behind them. The scrub nurse takes the position between the two surgeons. The procedure continues but Meredith doesn't start until Derek is finished with the drill. No movement is allowed when she starts with the spine or when Derek is working with the neck. After a while Derek sees a movement in the gallery. It is Dr Hunt leaving. He can't help himself but asks.

"Have you been working long with Dr Hunt?"

"It is two and a half year now. We belong to the same team and he is kind of our chief."

"What's the biggest difference between surgeries here at the hospital and one at your site?"

"There are many differences. We have less equipment which means we do more with what we have. Our lightning sucks, sometimes we work in the light from flashlights and some surgeries are preformed in French."

"Why did you and Cristina transfer?"

"We didn't see any future for us, here at Seattle Grace, in our field of interest" she answers with a look into his eyes. His eyes look shocked, angry and sad all at the same time.

"You didn't?"

She doesn't answer him. They work in silence in their own thoughts. A nurse leans into Rose and whispers rather loud.

"Dr Grey offered De Hunt sexual favours in the hall during her break."

Both surgeons hear her. Derek glares at Meredith and she can hardly keep herself from laughing out loud. They really are on the top of the gossip to today.

There is a commotion in the gallery. The hospital security appears and tries to throw a cameraman out. A lot of people are yelling and everyone in the OR stops and looks up.

"Intercom please" Derek orders "what are you doing? You are disturbing the surgery."

"The cameraman from gallery 1 is trying to take some pictures, Sir."

"Bring them to your place and ask my assistant for a hospital lawyer. I'll be down there when this is finished."

They finish the surgery and leave their residents to close up.

"Thank you everyone for your help today" Meredith says before she leaves the room.

When they are scrubbing out Derek turns to her and says.

"I would really like to talk to you. Would you like to have dinner with me today or tomorrow?"

Meredith looks at him for a long minute and takes a deep breath.

"What would Rose say about that? Or will she be joining us?"

"She has nothing to say about it. We are having a pause since as yesterday."

"Why"

"Because she can't understand me, she wants a lot of stuff that I don't want" he is looking at his hands and suddenly he lifts his head and looks her in the eyes "at least not with her" he continues. She looks deep into his eyes and tries to read them.

"Let's try tonight. You can pick me up at my house."

He smiles a McDreamy smile at her and her knees goes weak.

"I'll do the post-op on the patient if you need to go to security."

"Thank you and I'll see you at 8.30" He leaves the room with a long lost spring in his step. Meredith leaves as well. Neither of them has noticed that Rose has overheard their conversation.


	9. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Present time**

Derek is still at security when his assistant comes running with a phone. Derek's phone has been ringing but he wanted this camera matter out of the way so he turned his phone to voicemail.

"It is the head of the board" his assistant says.

"Hello Sir, this is Dr Shepherd."

"Are you having unauthorized personal operating on our patients?"

"What?"

"A journalist just called me for confirmation on his scoop! He said it was three foreign surgeons in the OR and they have photos to prove it."

"How do photos prove nationality?"

"I'm right now looking at a photo of an Asian woman with a different Id hanging from her front pocket."

"Oh" Derek says "it is Dr Cristina Yang. That means that the other two is Dr Meredith Grey, daughter of Dr Ellis Grey, and Major Dr Owen Hunt. Yang and Grey started as interns here six years ago, transferred five years ago to Doctors without Boarders or as they also are named Médecins Sans Frontières, the MSF. They are both attendings after an extensive program. Yang in cardio thorax and Grey in neuro, both are also general surgeons. Hunt is a trauma surgeon who also worked for the US army. They are all here to celebrate their friends' graduation and they offered to help out during the school shooting. They have been to a tremendous help and have probably saved more people then the rest of us. If they wanted work here I would hire them on the spot."

"OK, this changes the picture. The MSF are authorized to work all over the world. I want to meet with them in an hour in your office."

"I will see if they are available. I don't know if they are sleeping. We haven't got that many hours the last 48 hours. I will see if my assistant can get hold of them."

"Good, whatever, I want to speak with them as soon as possible."

"Sir, I have another problem with journalists or more precisely a cameraman here at security right now." They continued their conversation for a couple of more minutes.

They were all sitting in the cafeteria discussing the last 24 hours.

"You had the best graduation party ever" Cristina says "full of blood and surgeries."

"Joe's tonight?" Karev asks.

"OK" everybody but Meredith says. They look at her.

"You're not coming?"

"I have other plans."

"Plans that include McDreamy?" Izzy teases Meredith.

"Yeah, he wants to talk and I think it is long overdue."

"Are you dating anyone?" George asks and gives Owen a look.

"No, how come?"

"It is the hospital gossip that says that you and Owen are in a sexual relationship and were seen kissing and making out outside OR 2."

"We are caught, Mer. I know we should have hid in a closet." Owen laughs and gives Cristina a long lingering kiss.

"He was giving me a backrub and I thanked him as I always do. With a kiss on his cheek" she leans over and gives him another peck on his cheek.

"You dirty boy" Cristina slaps him on the head before snuggling under his arm.

"Jealous?" he asks Cristina and kisses her on the cheek. "We can have jealously hot sex tonight" he continues whispering in her ear.

"We can leave now, before the rest and have some sex before Joe's" she whispers back.

"Now you really got the gossip going" Alex exclaims as Derek's assistant walks up to them.

"The chief needs to see you in 30 minutes in his office" he says to Meredith, Cristina and Owen and walks away.

"It feels like I'm going to be yelled at, at the headmaster's office. We didn't kill anyone, did we?" Meredith asked.

"I pronounced nine death on arrival and three more in the pit" Owen says. "The total count this far is seventeen deaths and eleven badly injured and eighteen with minor injuries here at this hospital. We got all the major traumas and the major part of all injuries. I didn't cause any death."

"Me neither" Cristina says with a cocky smile, "patients are all in recovery."

They all rise and leave the cafeteria. Three of them went to the chief's office; the rest to do rounds on their patients. They were to meet each other in the lobby when finished.

Cristina knocked on the door and heard Derek answer.

"Come in."

The head of the board, which they saw yesterday at the ceremony, was sitting in front of the desk with Derek behind it.

"Please sit down." Derek says with a smile at Meredith. He continues with the introductions. We would like to inform you about an incident that has occurred. They were told about the scoop and the journalist and then asked to show their Id from the MSF. Derek handed the head of the board some papers that just arrived to his fax.

"To stop this story, we would like our PR department to set up a press conference. Would that be OK for you?"

They looked at each other and then Owen answered.

"As long as it is OK with our head office in Geneva it is OK for us."

The president of the board looked at Meredith and asked.

"Are you the daughter of Dr Ellis Grey?"

"Yes"

"Would you accept to do an interview with the local news paper?"

"As long as the MSF agrees, I agree."

Derek looked at her with a stunned expression. He would never have believed her to be so graceful about her mother.


	10. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Present time**

Meredith was home alone waiting for Derek. She changed clothes five times and fiddled with her hair. The doorbell rang at exactly 8.30 and she grabbed her purse and ran downstairs. When she opens the door his phone rings. Derek looks at the display and sends it straight to voicemail. They stand there looking at the other. Both have dressed to please each other. Meredith is wearing a low cut lavender dress that shows off her slim, long and tanned legs in high black heals. Derek is dressed in a navy shirt and light slacks.

"Hi" they smile at each other.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

She nods and locks the door behind them and he puts his hand in the small of her back to lead her back to his car. It felt like she was electrocuted and she almost jumped. He opens the door and she leans out of habit over to unlock his door. He keeps sneaking looks at her and she does the same.

"You look stunning tonight."

"So do you" she whispers.

They drive in silence and he parks outside their favorite Italian restaurant. She looks at him and he stutters.

"I didn't know where to take you, but you always loved this food so…" he trails off.

"It is perfect. The restaurants in Darfur are not any place you want to go and eat at."

The waiter shows them to their table and Derek helps her with her chair. She smells of lavender and he feels intoxicated. They order drinks and their meal. Derek chooses a white wine that will suit them both. Their conversation starts out slow but the more they talk the easier it gets. Derek laughs at hilarious stories from her work and she does the same when he tells her about SGH. When dessert is almost finished they grow silent again.

"Why did you leave?"

"Because of what happened to Cristina at her wedding. I didn't believe in happy ever after."

"But I told you that day that you were the love of my life."

"Yeah, but that didn't help my faith. Everyone that loved me had left me so I decided to be the one to leave instead of being left." She has tears in eyes now.

"Let's continue this conversation somewhere else" he says and leaves some bills on the table.

He drives to their spot overlooking the harbor and parks.

"Why didn't you talk to me?"

"I didn't want to see you because it hurt so much to leave and you were the love of my life."

"I was?"

"Yes" she whispers with tears slowly falling.

"Look at me Meredith."

She slowly raises her eyes and meets his, green staring into blue.

"When you left I was devastated… I spent a year alone in the trailer and worked more then 120 hours a week… I cared for in this order fishing, scotch and work… When I couldn't find you I cried for nights… You took an important piece of my heart away… The last couple of years I have dated Rose, in the beginning because she listened to me talking about you for hours the last year it has been mostly out of habit… She pushed me into buying an apartment here in town and told me to move in… In the last couple of months she has been pushing towards marriage, kids and a big house… I want those things but not with her... Yesterday before the Code One I told her I wanted a break, a pause… I needed to think… This is because I have dreamt about you for nights in a row… I thought I heard you outside Joe's one night… I thought I saw you in the gallery with Bailey… I smelled your conditioner when I was with Rose at Joe's one night… I thought I hallucinated… It wasn't until I saw you at the ceremony that I realized that my hallucinations were reality… It had been you all the time… that you were here… When I want alone time I go to the trailer… The only people allowed there are Mark and Addison… The trailer is our place… it is where I go when I want to remember you and me…" Tears were sliding down his cheeks.

"I have, when I have missed you to much, used the Meredith method… Tequila… lots of tequila and a one night stand… I left a piece of my heart here… I left it with you…"

"You are the love of my life."

"You are the love of my life… but my life is not here… It is literary half way around the world."

Now both of them are crying. Derek pulls her towards him and cradles her in his arms. He buries his face in her hair and she turns her face into his shirt. They sit there for a long time. His phone vibrates as it has done repeatedly during the evening. He doesn't care, he only wants to sit there forever. Meredith's breathing becomes heavier and she falls asleep in his arms.

Rose is getting more and more mad, because Derek doesn't answer his phone during the whole evening. She knows that he is having dinner with the slutty Dr Grey when he should be with her, his fiancé. They are almost married, she almost got him to set a wedding date and then that slut showed up again. Rose gets into her car and drives to Meredith's house. She parks a distance away but can clearly see the driveway and people walking in and out. Dr Hunt and Dr Yang are kissing in front of a downstairs window. Is this house a brothel? Are there only sluts living in the house?

It is close to 1 am when Derek's car shows up, finally. She watches as he walks around the car, opens the door and cradles a sleeping figure in his arms. He kisses the blonde hair and walks up to the door. The door opens by Izzy and they disappear inside. After just a few minutes a soft light is seen in an earlier dark window. She can see his silhouette when he passes the window. He disappears after a while but he is not coming out. Is he staying? She calls his cell again.

Derek puts Meredith on her bed and pulls the comforter over her. He sits there for a while just looking at her sleeping form, ignoring his phone. Something is not as it used to be but he can't pinpoint it. He slowly walks downstairs after a while, if he could he would stay but it is too early or too late. He isn't sure of which. Alex and Owen are having a beer in the living room.

"Want one?" Alex shows his bottle. Derek nods. "They are in the fridge."

Derek returns to the living room with a bottle in his hand. Owen is studying him closely.

"You really love her" he states. Derek nods and takes a sip of beer. Owen continues.

"She is the best neurosurgeon I have ever seen. She does miracles in a very simple environment. I don't know how many spinal injuries she's fixed in the light of a flashlight going in blind."

"I always thought that she would be better then I am, if she chose to go for neuro and I am very good." He says with a cocky smile. "I'm sorry" he continues "but I have to ask. Have you and her ever…?"

"No, we are just friends; she is like my little sister. It has been Cristina since the first time I saw her walking out of surgery all bloody and smiling, on my first day in Rwanda."

"But the rumor at the hospital talks about sexual favors."

"It was just something Meredith said. She knew it would travel to your ears and your nurse's ears."

"The nurse is not my nurse anymore" Derek cuts in.

"All I did was to give her a backrub. She usually gets a couple of achy knots after too many or too long surgeries. If you really want to hear her moan you should give her a hand, foot and backrub" Owen continues.

Alex starts to laugh when Derek's cheeks turns red.

"He knows other ways to get her moaning. We all slept with earplugs when he was here with her, but to tell the truth we used earplugs when she was alone as well due to her snoring. I even bought us new ones before you guys came."

"Meredith doesn't snore." Owen says.

"Yes she does, like a truck driver."

"No listen, do you hear anything?" Both Alex and Derek listen carefully, look at each other, rise and walk upstairs. They open the door and peeks in. Meredith is sleeping but not snoring.

"You hear, no snoring."

Rose is still sitting in her car but after an hour, but at 2 am she decides to drive home. Shortly after she left Derek gets in his car and drives to his trailer.


	11. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Present time**

When Derek arrives at the trailer he doesn't feel like going to sleep. Too much is turning in his mind. He decides to go fishing.

Meredith sleeps through the night. She wakes up when the sun bothers her face. In the first moments she looks around confused but it is her bedroom and she is in bed. She is only wearing her bra and panties and her dress is hanging on the closet door with her shoes beneath. How did she get in bed? The last thing she remembers is crying and hugging Derek in his car. It doesn't look like he's been sleeping in her bed. Is he downstairs? She sneaks down but the coach is empty but there is a smell of coffee from the kitchen. Owen is sitting there reading the paper.

"Good morning sleepy head" he greets her. "How was your date?"

She sees his smirk and realizes that he knows something.

"You tell me."

"Oh, you looked satisfied when Dr Shepherd carried you upstairs."

"He carried me?"

"Yeah, you were sound asleep, but we had an interesting talk about you snoring, moaning and earplugs with him and Alex."

"I don't snore or moan anymore so no one needs earplugs."

"I can get you to moan."

"You can not."

"Yes I can and I have. It is just to give you a hand, foot and backrub" he laughs.

"What else did you talk about?"

"Sexual favors"

"The hospital gossip?" she asked with a laugh and he nods in return. "What do you guys want to do today?" she continues.

"I want to go sightseeing. Cristina has promised to take me to the sights."

"Want any company?"

"I'm going to force a decision out of her so if you don't mind."

"No problem. I have my own decisions to make." She finds a piece of cold pizza and walks to her bathroom. She enjoys a soaking in her bathtub and plans her day. Well, she makes one plan.

Rose is also making plans. She feels that Derek needs to be put into a situation to accept it. Like she did when she wanted them to move in together, she picked an apartment and told him to buy it. So if she wants to get engaged she has to throw an engagement party. She contacts the printing office and orders invitations to be sent the next day. The party is in six days. Since the party is only six days away she can't get the hotel she wants but her second choice is free. For the party to be perfect she needs their families to be there. Her parents and Derek's mother and sisters need personal invitations. She takes a deep breath and dials a number she collected from Derek's cell phone months ago.

"Mrs Shepherd, this is Rose. Derek's soon to be fiancé. We would be honored if you could come to our engagement party on friday."

Derek is sleeping and he has made up his mind. Now he only has to execute his plan.

Meredith is driving Izzy's car off the ferryboat with butterflies in her stomach. Will she be able to decide about her feelings and is she ready for the consequences? When she arrives to the trailer his car is parked in its usually spot. OK, she thinks, he is here. Usually he walks out when a car drives up, but not today. She wonders if he is fishing and walks down to the lake. He is not there. When she returns to the trailer she sees his fishing pole in its place in the back of the porch. He still keeps his surroundings neat. She knocks on the door. He could have been in the shower when she drove up. Still no answer so she decides to sit in the sun on the porch and wait for him. Sooner or later he will be back. It doesn't take long before she falls asleep in the sun.

Owen is riding behind Cristina on a rented bike. They have been sightseeing downtown Seattle and kissed at the top of the Space Needle. Now Cristina is cruising south along the coastline with Owen riding shotgun.

"Cristina, can we please stop soon?" Owen is begging in her ear grasping her biker jacket with white fingers. The ride is a little too fast for his preferences. She nods in response makes a ninety degrees turn in high speed, the wheels sliding on the gravel before she pulls the bike to a complete stop.

"Scared" she asks Owen with a teasing smirk.

"Yeah" he admits climbing off the bike on shaky legs. Cristina just laughs at him.

"Come here" he says and pulls her into his arms for a lingering kiss before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leading her towards the beach.

They sit in the sun enjoying the view, the sun and each others company.

"We need to talk" Owen says after a while.

"Yeah, we do" Cristina answers looking down at their connected hands, they fit perfectly together.

Derek finally wakes up, its is his phone that is playing a phone signal, one of his nieces programmed for him the last time he was home on the east coast. He can't let his mum talk to voicemail and he really wants to tell her about his decision.

"Hi mum."

"Hello my dear boy."

"How is everyone?"

"Not as fine as you."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you got something you want to tell me?"

"Yes, but how do you know? I just made my mind up." He is fully awake now and on his way out the door when he sees Meredith sleeping in his lawn chair. When did she arrive? Why hasn't she wakened him? He really doesn't care because she is at his trailer sleeping in the sun.

"I know everything, it doesn't matter that I'm on the east coast and you are on the west coast. My children can never hide anything from me."

"It is about a girl, mum. A girl that makes my heart beat faster. My eyes can't get enough of her. I'm happy just seeing her walking past me in the hall of the hospital. She is everything… She is the one that understands me… The one I want to have a family with and the one I want to marry."

"So you will get engaged?"

"Yes, if and when she says yes."

"Are you planning to ask her anytime soon?"

"If it feels right I'll do it within a week."

"Are you sure she doesn't suspect anything?"

"Yeah, I hope she wants what I want, but it has been so many years so it will need something special to get her to say yes."

"Like a big party?"

"No, she isn't a big party girl. She likes simple things. A nice party for her is her friends meeting at Joe's or a barbeque here at the trailer."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, why? I would do whatever makes her happy. If she wants me to move half way around the world, change my specialty from neuro to what ever I'll do it."

"You don't have to exaggerate. I understand. You love her. I can hear it in your voice. You sound like when you just moved to Seattle and meet that intern."

"Yeah, you are right mum. I'm as happy as then for good reasons. I have to go. This beautiful girl is sleeping in my lawn chair. I love you, talk to you again soon."

"Bye my dear son. I love to hear you this happy."


	12. Chapter 14

**Chapt****er 14**

**Present time**

Like his mother had said itwas a long time since he felt this happy. The love of his life is sleeping in his lawn chair in the sun and he has made a decision he hoped she would like as well. He decided it would be good to start with coffee and made a pot for them. He brings mugs out and sits down beside her. She is curled up to a ball. He stokes her hair out of her face and kisses her cheek. Her skin is so soft against his lips that he has to fight the urge to let his lips travel all over her face, tug at her earlobe and follow the line to the spot on her neck that would make her moan. If I don't stop I'm going to need a shower, a very cold shower.

"Meredith, wake up. You'll get a cold if you sleep outside. I made you some coffee."

She starts to stretch her body just like a cat waking up. He loves to watch her move. She, lying in his lawn chair is just perfect. He holds the coffee close to her nose and that gets her to open her eyes, her very green eyes. Her smile takes his breath away.

"Hi"  
"Hi" she answers.

"When did you come?"

"What time is it?"

"Almost noon. Are you hungry? I caught a nice trout early this morning."

"Have you been fishing?"

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep after leaving you and I had to think. And make a decision."

"What kind of decision?"

"A road changing decision." He smiles at her. His eyes are bright and sparkly and look deep into her eyes. She has problems breaking the connection, mostly because she doesn't want to break it. Derek's phone rings and reluctantly he looks at the display. When he flips the phone open his eyes are not so bright and sparkly anymore.

"I got to answer this. Drink your coffee and I'll be back in a little while."

She watches as he turns around and walks away. His shoulders are hanging, his head is hanging. His posture looks tired and sad.

"Hi" he says and walks further away.

"Hi Derek" Rose says "you didn't come home last night."

"I told you that I am staying at my trailer."

"OK but when are you coming home?"

"Rose, we really need to talk."

Oh no she thinks, not that line.

"Rose, can we meet later today?"

"No, I'm working. My shift starts soon, have to go" she hangs up on him. She can't have him continuing that thought of line, the we need to talk line. Not when they are getting engaged on Friday. She has a lot to do to get the party going and looks at her to do list. She has to call the caterer.

Strange, Derek thought when Rose hangs up on him. They have been working almost the same shifts since last year. It was something he made possible by her request and this was his free weekend. He looks back at Meredith and his eyes are sparkling again.

"Care for a walk?"

"Yeah" she smiles at him.

They walk side by side in silence for a while. When they arrives to where their dog, Doc, is buried she gives him a look and sits down.

"You hurt me when you choose Addison."

He sits down beside her.

"I'm sorry."

"You called me names… You expected me to be waiting for you, while you tried to fix your marriage… What was in that for me? Nothing, emptiness, lone nights filled with tears… Then you left Addison but you wanted space… You didn't choose me again… Then you wanted me and you thought that I could just have total faith in you… My problem has never been the love I feel for you… That love is overwhelming… My problem is the fear of getting hurt by you… That is why it was easier to leave without a word…"

He looks at her during her ramble, tears sliding down his face. He understands the magnitude of pain he has caused her.

"Meredith, I would like you to stay here in Seattle… My head of neuro is moving to Florida in September… I will have a contract for you to sign tomorrow if you would like that… I also want to hire Cristina and Dr Hunt… But this is not an employment issue for you or your friends. If you want to continue working for the MSF, I would like to join them as well, as long as I can work with you… I am prepared to change specialty to fit into your team, infectious diseases or any kind of surgery… I'll redo my fellowship with the MSF if you love me enough to want me with you, because you are the love of my life…"

She sits quietly beside him. He looks at her curiously and nervously. Why isn't she saying anything? Suddenly she stands up and pulls him up as well. She stares into his eyes as if she is searching for something before turning and running. She turns back again and shouts.

"I'll be back with an answer."

Is she in or is she out? Derek doesn't know. Who will she talk to? Probably Yang and Hunt maybe Karev, Stevens and O'Malley. He decides to get his options prepared and calls the head of the board about permission to start negotiations for contracts. He will also apply to the MSF, keeping all options open.

Meredith is making a phone call of her own.

"Hi Adele, it is me Meredith."

"Hi sweetie"

"Are you and Richard home right now? I would like to talk to you if possible."

"We are always here for you. Come right over."

"I'll be there with in an hour."

She ate lunch with the Webbers and they answered her questions about Derek, Rose and the hospital. They spoke about her work and her life. It was almost 4 pm when she drove towards her house. Cristina was watching one of her mother's surgeries and Owen was watching Cristina with an unreadable face.

"Hi guys, where are the rest of the gang?"

"Izzy is grocery shopping with Alex and George is with his mysterious girlfriend."

"I have some stuff I want to talk to you about. Can we have a sit down in the kitchen before the rest arrives home?"

"Sure Mer."

Owen follows Meredith into the kitchen and picks a beer each from the fridge.

"You want something Cristina?"

"No thanks. I'll be with you in five."

"So what did you do today, did you see the Space Needle?"

"Yeah, I have only seen pictures of it before. It is amazing. We also saw the ferries."

"Ferryboats"

"OK and then we drove along the coast for an hour or so. Stopped at a beach and had our talk."

Cristina is entering the kitchen.

"What's up Mer?"

"I first of all want to tell you that we are getting job offers from Seattle Grace Hospital. Would you guy consider that?"

Owen looked at Cristina.

"What do you say Cris?"

"Mer, I am not totally sure yet… but we may keep this baby."

"You are? Great I am going to be an aunt!"

"But we don't think a campsite is a very good place for a baby, so we talked about looking for normal jobs."

"Then you would consider this job offer?"

"Yeah, we would. What about you?"

"I don't know. It depends of your decision but also of Derek, if I can trust him this time."

"What has he said? What has he promised you?"

"He said that I am the love of his life. Then he offered me head of neuro or that he would join the MSF if I love him as he loves me."

They sat in silence for a while, each in their own thoughts until Owen says;

"Cristina, you have to make up your mind, but as Derek told Meredith, you are the love of my life."

The front door burst open before she had a chance to answer.

"Later" she whispered with a smile. Izzy and Alex came in carrying groceries.

"Do you need help?" Owen asks while giving Cristina's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah" Owen follows Alex out to the car.

"I'm going to make Chicken Teriyaki. We can eat at 6" Izzy says.

Meredith went upstairs. She had a lot think about. She made a list in her head, Seattle versus MSF. Cristina made a similar list. She wanted to give this baby to Owen but wasn't sure if she would be a good mum. She put a video of a heart surgery on the TV. Owen took a walk together with Alex and Izzy cooked. Just before dinner George arrived together with his girlfriend Lexie.

Meredith had fallen asleep during list making with no decision made yet. Izzy wakes her up and she walks into the kitchen. A pretty, young woman with dark hair is chatting with Izzy as George is looking at the girl with puppy eyes.

"Oh Meredith, this is Lexie. Lexie this is Meredith."

Lexie stares at Meredith for so long that Meredith thinks she had a big pimple on her nose or something.

"Hi" she says to try to break the stare. "You work at the hospital, right?" That seems to work. Lexie stop staring and answers.

"I'm a fourth year resident and specializes in ENT."

"Then you must work a lot together with Dr Sloan."

"Yeah, he is the best."

Alex walks into the kitchen.

"So, how is little and big Grey doing?"

Meredith looks at him with questions in her eyes.

"What?"

Alex realizes his mistake.

"No one said anything?" he asks staring at Izzy, George and Lexie.

"No" they answer "we haven't got to that yet."

"Mer, Lexie Grey is your half sister" Alex continues.

"Do I have a half sister?"

"No you have two, me and my sister Molly." Lexies says.

"But I'm an only child."

"Our father Thatcher remarried Susan. He has told us about you since we were little."

"Half sisters" Meredith says again. She has trouble concentrate during dinner. Lexie seems very nice and very chatty.

The seven friends spends the rest of the meal bantering each other. Rose spent her afternoon planning the party. Derek is completing his CV and all application forms for the MSF. He also speaks with Richard Webber about references. The Webber then has a long talk about Derek's intention with Meredith and Rose. They are both were happy with the prospect of Derek leaving Rose but both want Derek and Meredith in Seattle and not half way around the world.


	13. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Present time**

Derek meet with Mark and Addison for a drink at Joe's during Sunday evening and they speak about his plans on their way there. Derek knew that Mark and Addison would not say anything.

"When are you leaving the plant and throwing her out of your apartment?"

"I tried earlier today to set up a meeting with her when she called me, but she hang up on me. I'll try tomorrow morning at work."

Izzy, Cristina and Meredith spent a couple of hours at the mall since Cristina and Mer wanted to pick up some American stuff to bring back to Darfur. It was things that their co-workers were longing for and some of their own favorites. They met the others at Joe's for a late drink, and it ended up as a party with lots of laughs, bantering, dancing and drinking. They were joined by others who also worked at the hospital.

Rose is sitting together with some nurses across the room. They are not happy when they see other nurses joining the party. The door opens and Derek together with Mark and Addison enters the bar. Derek's eyes are immediately drawn to the corner where Meredith is sitting. He doesn't even notice Rose. Mark asks him if he wants his regular drink and he only has time to nod before walking over to Meredith. He leans over her and breaths her in.

"Hi, you smell so intoxicating that I'm going to need CPR soon. She giggles and slaps his hand that is resting on her shoulder but she leans back and smiles at him. He squeezes down between Meredith and Cristina. They sit there pressed together. Mark brings his drink and Derek salutes Meredith who lifts her beer and takes a sip. He slowly strokes her leg under the table and grabs her hand. She leaves her hand in his and they sit there and listen to their friends very, very aware of each other. Rose gets more agitated since he doesn't see her and she is his fiancée. Her friends make her drive them home to cool off. She drops them off and returns to Joe's. Derek's car is still there so she parks on the other side of the road and waits.

Derek leans into Meredith and whispers.

"I have to be at work at 7 am and I need to leave. Can I drive you home first?"

"Yeah, that would be nice."

Derek holds her hand while they climb the steps and walk to his car. He opens the door for her and she leans as always over to unlock his door. That little habit of her makes his hearth swell a little more each time. He hurries around and slides into his seat. They sit there for a couple of minutes just looking at each other before he reaches over and caresses her cheek. He starts the car and drives towards her house. Neither sees that Rose is following them. Derek parks the car in the driveway and walks around to open Meredith's door. He helps her out and catches her between the car and his body. Their eyes are locked in each other when he leans in and slowly kisses her. His tongue asks for permission to enter and she sucks it in, they are not aware that they moan. Time stands still. Rose does not have a clear view but can see so much as that they are not talking. Not with Derek's body pressed up against Meredith's. Rose gets angry and speeds by them with her engine roaring but they don't look up, they only have eyes for each other. Finally they break apart and Derek rests his forehead against Meredith's.

"What about Rose?"

"It is over, as over as it has been the last couple of months. I just need to make her understand that the pause I asked for is a break up. I tried to talk to her earlier today when she called but she hung up on me. I will use my chief card and call her into my office tomorrow morning at 7 am. Can you meet me for lunch tomorrow?"

"I don't want to be the reason for you to break up. I'm not a home wrecker."

"You coming here have made me aware of my true feelings. I have been in limbo for the last couple of years. I have avoided her for months. You are the reason of the break up since you are the love of my life. I have thought that I would have to settle with someone that I truly don't love. Just by being here have you given me the strength to break away from Rose and I know that I can live without you, but I rather live and work with you where ever you want to live and work."

"Do you want to have lunch with me even if I haven't made up my mind?"

"I want to be with you forever and right now I take as much as you can give me. Yes, I want to have lunch with you."

He walks her to her door, takes her key and opens the door and hands the key back with a soft kiss.

"Good night Meredith, see you tomorrow."

Meredith changes into her PJ and crawls into her bed. Her thoughts whirl around in her head. Derek is standing on the ferryboat watching the silhouette of Seattle and feels like he is 15 years old and in high school again. Everything feels fresh, new and exciting.

Owen is lying awake in bed with Cristina wrapped in his arms. His hand is resting on her abdomen and he tries to picture their baby growing in there.

Rose is sitting with a photo album she made of her and Derek's first year together. Many of the pictures will be in a power point at the party. She will be the future Mrs. Shepherd in 5 days. The only thing, well person, in the way is the slutty intern.


	14. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Derek arrives early to the hospital as he has the aftermath of the school shooting to deal with. The press started with the first scoop of 3 unauthorized surgeons and today there would be the press conference later in the afternoon with Hunt, Yang and Grey. He had a lot of calls to different authorities. The consequences of the camera team filming the shooter during his surgery and he also had to reassign all patients that the MSF worked on to actually employees. But most important for him is the break up with Rose. When he hears a soft knock on the door he looks at his watch and sees that it's 7:05 am. Good, he thinks, she came directly after she got the note from the head nurse.

"Come in"

Rose opens the door and sticks her head in with a happy face.

"Hi Derek"

"Come in Rose."

She walks towards his desk. He is sitting behind it so she starts walking around to sit in his lap as she's done before. When he realizes her intension he motions to a chair and says.

"Sit down please."

He moves himself to a chair besides her. She looks happy when he sits beside her and she tries to grab his hand. He avoids by putting his hands in his lab coat.

"Rose" he begins "why didn't you want to meet me the other day and talk?"

She looks confused, before she remembers her lie.

"I had to work."

Derek has been studying her since she walked through the door and he can't see what made her attractive. He sighs.

"I know you didn't work. Rose, I know I said I wanted a pause a couple of days ago."

"Yes, you did, but I know you would change your mind" she says with a bright smile. "We are perfect for each other.

"No Rose, no we are not perfect for each other. I want out of this relationship. I don't see a future for us" He looks at her and tries to anticipate her reaction. Tears he can see, sure he can handle tears. He reaches for the Kleenex-box on the table. "Here you are Rose, he says gentle. She looks up at him but there are no longer tears.

"We are getting engaged because we are the future you, me and the baby."

"What baby?"

"The baby I'm carrying."

"Are you saying that you are pregnant with my child?"

"Yes, I'm 8 weeks along."

This can't be happening he thinks but suddenly he sees something calculating in Rose eyes and realizes that she is lying straight into his face. He plays along and pulls out his phone.

"Then we need to have you checked out." He flips up the phone and speed-dials Addison hoping she isn't in surgery. She picks up after two signals. Rose just stares at him.

"Hi Addison, I need you to do a quick exam, can you do it right away?"

"On who, you?" Addison asks.

"No, Rose."

"Is she pregnant?"

"She says so and I need you to confirm it."

"OK, I have time now."

"Thank you, see you in five."

Rose doesn't like this turn of events so she says that she did a test last week and has a scheduled appointment later in the week.

"No Rose, Addison will check you out now."

He takes her elbow and walks towards the maternity floor. Rose tries to make it look like they are walking as a couple but it is hard when he doesn't allow her to step closer to him.

"I thought I should surprise you with this pregnancy later this week" she says in a rather loud voice. A couple of passing nurses hear her. Derek squirms but keeps walking, desperate wishing that Rose is lying. Sure, he wants kids, Meredith's kids. Addison is waiting outside an exam room and motions for them to enter. She studies them while closing the door. Derek looks angry and scared. Rose looks happy and kind of strange. Addison gets a bad feeling when she looks at Rose.

"So what can I do for you?"

"Confirm pregnancy" Derek snaps.

"OK, Rose please put on this robe. Derek, follow me."

They step outside and Addison firmly closes the door behind them.

"What's this about?"

"I have been trying to break up with her the last couple of days. She has not wanted to talk to me so I used the chief card this morning. She claims she is 8 weeks pregnant but I know she is lying. Now I need you to confirm her condition."

"Will you stay with her if she is pregnant?"

"No, but I will be there for the child."

"You can wait here and I will get a nurse to help me out."

Derek walks back and forth talking on his phone with the hospital lawyers about the cameraman in the gallery when Addison reappears and calls him back into the room. He looks at Rose while ending his call. She has an unreadable facial expression.

"Do want me to tell him?"

"The tests are wrong?"

"No Rose, but we will wait for the blood test as well" she says and looks at Derek. "Rose is not pregnant. Her urine test is negative. She has no physical indications that are normally present at a 8 week pregnancy. I am waiting for the blood test to confirm this but it will take another hour."

Derek feels only relief. Rose is looking at him and pleads.

"The tests are wrong. The blood test will prove that we are going to have a baby."

"I believe Addison. She is the best in this field."

"Rose" Addison says "you are welcome to a second opinion, but wait here until the labs are returned."

"I have work to do, page me" Derek says and leaves for his office. When he passes the nurses' station on the surgical floor, everyone is staring at him, but he doesn't care. He has more important things to do before lunch.

He is scanning the drafts of the contracts he'll be offering Hunt, Yang and Grey, when his pager goes off. He looks at its only word, negative. He leans back and thanks who ever might be listening. Suddenly his door burst open and in comes Rose yelling.

"We are not over. I am pregnant."

She storms back out and slams the door behind her. Derek goes back to work and finishes some consultations before lunch.

Meredith arrives at noon to the cafeteria and looks around for Derek when she hears in her ear.

"Looking for me, the chief?" she shakes her head and answers.

"No. I'm looking for some neurosurgeon for a lunch date."

"Oh, then I better walk you to him." He leads her to the food line. She turns and laughs at him. His eyes are sparkling with a hint of naughty in them.

"Did you talk to her?"

"Yes, but let's order and I'll fill you in."

They bring their food to an outside table where they can speak in private. Derek tells her everything, down to the last visit in his office. He doesn't want any surprises sprung on her from the hospital gossip.

"So, today you and me are colleagues, neurosurgeons?"

They sit there looking into the eyes of each other with similar smiles in their faces. Then they fall back into their usually easy way of talking about everything like the upcoming press conference. Derek's pager goes off, it's the pit.

"Have to go. Feel free to go anywhere you want, see if it can make you decide." He leaves with a smile.

Meredith is enjoying her junk food. Junk food is a plus on the Seattle page. Rose walks over to her table. She has been watching them from the restaurant. She leans over and says.

"Go back to Africa, he is mine."

Meredith stares at her but Rose leaves before she finds an answer. She is definitely a plus on the MSF's page. Addison slides down in a chair instead and is soon followed by Mark. Both are very interested in her work by the MSF. When she makes her ready to leave, Addison leans forward and says.

"Don't believe a word you hear in the gossip today. Rose is not pregnant and I know that since I was the one doing the tests."

"What are you doing for the rest of the day?" Mark asks. "Want to watch me do a nose job on a girl with a tumor?"

"Maybe" she answers "if there aren't any real surgeries going on."

Mark fakes a hurt look and Addison laughs at him.

"See you around guys. I'll be here until closer to six because of the press conference."

Meredith walks towards the surgical floor.

By the surgical board she finds Dr Bailey, who is going to scrub in with Derek on a hit and run victim in just a couple of minutes. It is a young boy and he has a minor bleed in his frontal lobe and a burst bowl.

"Want to join us?" Bailey asks.

"No, I'll just watch from the gallery, but thanks."

"I would like to see you perform general surgery some time. Shepherd says that you have some interesting techniques" she says and leaves for the scrub room. Meredith climbs the stairs to the gallery. Derek is already in the OR speaking softly to the boy. When Bailey enters he says his mantra.

"It is a beautiful day to save lives, let's have some fun."

Bailey says something and gets Derek to look up at the gallery and wink at her. She waves back, and then she sees that the scrub nurse is Rose and she is staring at her as well. Meredith gets a chill running along her spine by the look she gets.

Derek knows that Rose was to scrub in on this surgery but it doesn't bother him. He treats her as any other surgical staff member and keeps his interaction with her to medical orders. He chats with Dr Bailey instead. This is making Rose angry. She wonders what she can do and makes up a plan. When the surgery is almost over she doubles over after sending Meredith a glance. Yes, she is still there. Rose let's herself fall to her knees and moans.

"What the hell" Derek mutters and Bailey barks out an order to get a gurney and someone to take over Rose's job. The interns and residents soon get her on the gurney and out the door, but not before she cries.

"Derek, it's something wrong with our baby."

"Get Addison to do a check up and page me" he orders a resident.

"Don't you want to follow her? Dr Grey is in the gallery and she can take over." Bailey says and looks up at Meredith.

"She is faking" Derek answers "Addison did a check up on her less then 6 hours ago. She is pretending t be pregnant to make me stay with her. I broke up with her this morning for good. We are no longer on a break, it is over. It is over and she doesn't want it to be." He continues his work and says "I know how I want my future to be and Rose has no part in it." He looks up at the gallery and takes a deep breath when he sees Meredith green eyes focused on him.

Just before they finish up Addison walks into the OR.

"Addison" Derek acknowledge her "how is she?"

"No changes since this morning. Can I speak with you after this surgery?"

"Sure, I'm all done here. Dr Bailey, can you take over from here please?"

"Yes Dr"

Addison and Derek walks into the scrub room.

"Derek, I believe that Rose needs a psych consult. She is obsessed with this pregnancy."

"I don't know what more to do. I have broken up with her and this is how she retaliates. Can you call for a psych-consult?"

"I already have."

"Thank you Addison. I have to be at the press conference in 15 minutes.

Cristina has taken a slow morning while Owen is out alone for a couple of hours. He is now on his way to the house to pick up Cristina before going to the press conference.


	15. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Cristina and Owen are waiting outside the largest conference room when Derek and Meredith walks up to them.

"Hi, let's do this" he says and opens the door. Owen ushers Cristina to a chair next to the window and sits down beside her. He leaves his hand in her knee. Derek puts his hand in the small of Meredith's back and leads her to a chair, sits down beside her and gives her a smile. Meredith looks around the room. The hospital is represented by the head of the board, Derek as chief of surgery, a lawyer and a PR-woman who is introducing the surgeons from the MSF and their boss that is on video link from Geneva. There are about 25 members of the press. A rather aggressive reporter starts to shout questions even before the press conference officially starts. After about 20 minutes the PR-woman closes the conference since there isn't anything wrong to find and therefore no scoop for the reporters. The surgeons are authorized to work in the states and have been to a tremendous help during the tragic incident and the hospital lawyer only refers to the police when they tries to get information about the shooter. The PR-woman asks the press if they have any question to the visiting surgeons regarding their work at the MSF instead and a couple of the papers and a local TV-station stay behind. The questions are a lot friendlier and Owen together with their boss does most of the talking. Suddenly one of the reporters directs a question to Meredith.

"Dr Grey, are you related to Dr Ellis Grey?"

"Yes, she was my mother."

"Can you tell me how it was to grow up in her shadow?"

"I was early introduced to the hospital environment and have learnt a lot."

"Was it your choice to go in her footprints?"

"Yes, my mother was not supporting my choice. She knew what you have to sacrifice to be become an excellent surgeon."

"You have not chosen general surgery as your mother. You are a neurosurgeon, why?

"My first surgery as an intern was a neurosurgery and it made a great impression on me."

Derek can see that Meredith is close to freaking out and motions for the PR-woman to stop the questions. She gets the message and thanks the reporters for coming. Meredith bolts from the room so fast that her chair hits the wall behind her. Derek has no chance to follow but makes his excuses as fast as possible to get after her.

Outside the room he finds Owen and Cristina in a loving embrace.

"I would like to speak with you in my office before you leave today, but first I need to find Meredith."

"We'll help you look for her."

Cristina and Owen take the surgical floor and on-call rooms. Owen stops Cristina from exiting the last on-call room. He wraps his arms around her and kisses her thoroughly while his hands starts roaming her body.  
"We can't" Cristina tries to clear her head.

"Just a quickie" Owen whispers while unbuttoning her pants. His hands his busy as well as his mouth and Cristina can feel her knees buckle before pulling Owen down on the bed.

Derek goes down to the lobby and cafeteria. When he passes the large windows in the lobby he sees a blond petit woman sitting on a bench. He slides down beside her.

"You did well today."

No answer, no response, he lifts her chin up and looks into her eyes.

"What is wrong Mer? Talk to me. I'm here for you."

"Suddenly she throws herself at him with such force that it makes him almost falls off the bench. He steadies himself and wraps his arms around her. She is sobbing.

"It is OK. I'm here with you."

They sit there for a while. A lot of passing people stare at them.

Rose came out of the hospital after an hour with the shrink and saw Derek sitting there hugging the slut. With the shrink she had played the game 'I'm so sorry because my boyfriend broke up with me. I only wanted him to see me. I'm fine now and I know I'm not pregnant.' The shrink bought it all and called it a small breakdown and sent her home for the rest of the week. When she looks at Derek sitting here hugging Meredith she feels anger boiling inside of her. She is the fiancée and that will be proven for everyone on the party. She, Rose, is the future wife to chief of surgery, Dr Derek Shepherd. The slutty woman has to go. She has to leave for Africa today. Rose walks past them but they don't see her. When she arrives home there are a lot of RSVP's on the answering machine and a lot of well wishes to the engagement. She smiles; a lot of friends and colleagues now know that they are getting engaged. She has a lot of work to do, registering all RSVP's.

Finally Derek can get Meredith's attention. She hugs him and whispers.

"I love you but I still don't have any answer for you."

"It is OK. Take all the time you need. I will always be here for you. You are the love of my life. Can you please come to my office? I have the contracts drawn up for you, Cristina and Owen." She nods and they walk back into the hospital side by side.

Derek sits down behind his desk and says to the three doctors in front of him.

"Seattle Grace hospital has the pleasure to offer each of you a contract. You will each be head of a department. We would like you to work as surgeons as well as teachers for our residential program. Dr Yang, we have an opening for you at the cardio thorax with start in august. Dr Hunt, you can start as head of trauma any day you want. Dr Grey, our head of Neuro is retiring in September. If you, anyone of you, don't want the responsibilities that follows with head of a department we want you as an attending. If you want time off every year to do time with the MSF, we will give you that. You are free to formulate your own conditions and we will try to fulfill as many as possible."

They look at Derek in astonishment and at each other. Is it possible to get a better offer then this?

"Take these prospects and get back to me before you leave for Darfur." Derek hands them each a folder.

"Thank you Dr Shepherd" they say and walk towards the door.

"Meredith, please wait." She turns around after asking the other to wait for her in the lobby.

"Meredith, do you want to have dinner with me?"

"No Derek" she smiles "I have this job offer to consider."

He walks up to her and puts a stray hair behind her ear. His thumb caresses her cheek.

"When you consider this offer can you also have in your mind that I have sent in my application to the MSF? I want to be with you and if you love me enough to let me be with you, I want to join the MSF, if you still want to work for them."

"You would do that for me?"

"There is nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"Thank you" she gives him a light kiss and a tight hug before leaving him in his office.

"Sir" his assistant enters the room when Meredith leaves.

"Yes"

"These messages have arrived during the afternoon. Some are RSVP for the party on Friday and some wants you to call back, especially Dr Webber."

"Hold on, what party?"

"The party you are hosting in the reception hall on Friday evening."

"I'm not hosting a party on Friday."

"Then you better talk to you fiancée about that" he says and leaves for his own desk.

Derek's mind is racing… party… fiancée… Friday. He doesn't get it but decides to call Rose. When he turns on his cell phone he has 34 unanswered calls. Scrolling down the list gives that more then 5 are from Richard. When he pushes the speed dial for Rose there is a knock on the door and before he has time to say come in the door bursts open. He hangs up on Rose as Dr Webber and his wife Adele storms into his office.

"What do you think you are doing?" Richard yells and leans over his desk.

"Sit down Richard and let the bastard explain himself." Adele says.

Derek is stunned by Richard's anger and Adele's language.

"What is this all about?" he starts to say but is cut off.

"What is this about? It is about Meredith and how you treat her!"

"And how have I mistreated her?"

"By being all McDreamy to her" Adele answers. "Why are you doing this to Meredith when you are getting engaged with that nurse?"

"I am not getting engaged with Rose. We have been taken a pause and are broken up now."

"Then why are we having an invitation to your engagement party?"

"I have no idée, but I have a suspicion."

"What are your intensions with Meredith?"

"I have offered her head of Neuro, but if she doesn't accept I have also sent in my applications to the MSF. I plan to never let her go again. I love her and I have done so since the day I first met her at Joe's."

Richard has calmed down while listening to Derek.

"What are you doing about this party?"

"It has to be stopped and I first heard about it 2 minutes before you came."

"Do you want some help?" Adele asks.

"Please do."

"Can you now tell me what you know about all this stuff?"

Derek starts to tell them and can see more of the picture made of all small pieces of information.


	16. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Meredith, Cristina and Owen drives back to the house in silence, each one in their own thoughts. They are met by a full house.

"How did it go? It will be on the local news at seven." Izzy squeaks. She is very excited about the press conference.

"Good we think." Owen says and joins Cristina and Meredith who has started laughing.

"Good" Meredith says between bursts of laughter. Now they have every ones attention.

"What's so funny?" the others ask.

They collect themselves and ask them to sit down and tell them about the offers they got from the hospital.

"This is amazing, we need to celebrate" Alex says.

"We haven't accepted yet" Meredith says.

"Why?"

"Well, I haven't decided yet."

"Don't you want to live here in Seattle? Don't you and Shepherd love each other?"

"I do love him, but I don't know if I can trust him."

"Stay anyway, dump him. The contract doesn't come with a marriage clause."

"I have to think about this."

Alex returns from the kitchen.

"We need to go to Joe's to celebrate."

"Joe has a TV and if we go now we'll be there in time for the news." Lexie pitches in.

"Yeah, let's go."

Rose has been home recording RSVP's and graciously accepted well wishes when spoken to some of the callers. She is so excited that wives to other chiefs have called her. This engagement will let her socialize with them. She is daydreaming of tea parties and dinners invitations when the phone rings again. Without looking at the caller id she answers.

"The Shepherd resident this is Rose."

Derek has together with Adele and Richard got a picture of what Rose is planning. She has planned an engagement party this coming Friday, sent out invitations and booked the reception hall at the hospital. A call to the head of the reception hall gives them an estimate of 300 people and the name of the caterer. They cancel the reception hall and Adele contacts the caterer. Now they need to find out who Rose has invited so Derek calls the apartment.

"The Shepherd resident this is Rose."

"Rose, it is me, Derek."

When Rose hears Derek her hearth makes a joyful beat. He calls her she thinks.

"Hi honey." She answers with a happy voice.

"I'll be at the apartment in twenty minutes. We need to talk about this party."

He sounds so cold she thinks.

"We have so much to do before Friday. I'll be happy for your help."

"Rose there is no party, which is what we need to talk about."

No party is not what Rose wants to hear.

"What is it with you and that sluttish woman? She will be gone by Friday and our life can move on together."

"We will talk about this when I come home."

Derek hangs up and sinks back into his chair.

"She is crazy" he says looking at the Webbers.

"Do you want us to come along?" Adele asks him.

"No thank you. I can handle her. I'll fax you the list when I have it or the name of the printer."

Derek gets into his car at the same time as Rose realizes that she doesn't want to talk to him. She needs to get rid of the slut that tries to steal her fiancé. She drives past the hospital towards the slut's house and while passing Joe's she sees the friends of the slut walking together towards Joe's. She parks her car, grabs an envelope and walks after them inside, sitting down across the room looking at the slut.

Cristina is looking at Owen who has been very quiet during the evening. She is getting tired again. This pregnancy thing is harder than she ever thought it would be. Owen and Joe are having a talk and before they part Joe pats Owen on the back and smiles brightly. Owen turns back to the table. He takes a look at Cristina and her person sitting there chatting, smiling and having a nice time with their friends. He walks up and waits for them to look up at him. When they do he reaches for Cristina's hand and pulls her up on her feet. She looks at him with a big question in her eyes. He just looks at her and smiles while his right hand caresses her cheek his left hand digs into his pocket and pulls out a small green velvet box.

"Cristina… as I have said before.. you are my love and has been that since the first day I saw you… bloody and smiling on the site in Rwanda… please marry me Cristina Yang… please make me the happiest man on earth and start a family with me here in Seattle…"

Cristina is looking deep into his eyes and can feel how her hearth swells. She can't break the look into Owen's eyes.

"Yes" she says and Owen sweeps her up into his arms and twirls her around and around kissing her brain out. "Put me down… stop" she giggles.

The rest of their friends start to laugh and applause them and Joe comes up with champagne flutes for everyone. Owen realizes that he is still holding her ring and puts her down and opens the box. Cristina looks into his eyes again while giving him her hand and he puts a beautiful diamond ring on her finger.

After the celebration and toasts to the engaged couple Meredith walks up to the bar. She wonders what she shall do, what she shall decide. She is happy for her friends but she has a bad feeling about staying in Seattle. A small envelope is handed to her by Joe. Her name is written by hand on the outside. She looks around but can't see who gave it to her. The front door is closing behind a dark haired woman.

Derek is met by an empty apartment. He can see that a lot of planning is going on. It looks like a madhouse. After sorting through the papers he finds a book labeled 'Our Wedding' and opens it. On the front page is a monogram in gold 'The Shepherds'. He turns the pages and amongst pictures of dresses, flowers and stuff he finds an invitation list to the engagement party as well as to an upcoming wedding. He is shaking his head. Rose is crazier then he could ever believe. This is bad, really bad. She is delusional if she believes that he would marry her. When he looks closer he can see that she started this book about a month after he moved to Seattle. He sends as promised the list to Mrs. Webber and starts to look around the apartment. The feeling in the rooms are scary, there are pictures of them all over the place. It doesn't even look like the last time he was there. He decides to pack as much of his stuff as possible while waiting for Rose to come back.


	17. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Meredith opens the envelope she got. It is a printed invitation to Derek's and Rose's engagement party upcoming Friday. She leaves some bills on the counter and leaves the bar without saying anything to her friends.

Derek is getting tired of waiting in the apartment when the time passes 10 pm so he leaves for his trailer. Meredith's friends pay their tabs and heads home wondering where she is.

"Joe, do you know where Meredith is?"

"No, she got a letter and took off the next minute."

Her friends decide to go home and look for her since she doesn't answer her cell phone. The evening had been eventful and they all wanted to go home.

Cristina had revealed her pregnancy for them all and Owen had proposed and the two of them had decided to accept the job offer from SGH. Before they could start their new job they needed to fulfill their contracts with the MSF and they have to return for two times four weeks and can start in Seattle in 10 weeks. Cristina would be five months pregnant at the time. She wanted to discuss with Meredith and make her decide to accept her offer as well.

The friends arrived back home, Alex remembered to collect their mail and everyone goes inside. Cristina runs upstairs to see if Meredith is still awake. She needs to tell her about the decision to stay in Seattle. When she comes up she opens Meredith's bedroom and walks into the brightly light but empty room. She walks back out but on her way she realizes that something is wrong and takes another look around the room. Going by her gut feeling she slowly opens the wardrobe and then the drawers. All are empty and there is no bag under her bed. She runs downstairs; no jacket is by the door. Looking into the kitchen she sees Meredith's blackberry charging on the countertop. Strange!  
"Hey you guys" Cristina shouted, "Can you all come to the kitchen please?" They all arrived.

"What's up, why are you not having girl-talk with Meredith? Is she asleep?"

"No" Cristina almost yells. "Meredith's room is empty."  
"So she is with Shepherd"  
"No!!!" Cristina yells again

"Cole it down, girl" Alex says.

"Meredith's stuff is gone, everything except her blackberry that is charging over there" she points at the counter.  
"What do you mean gone?" George asks as he hugs Lexie.  
"Gone, gone, not here gone."

"But Meredith wouldn't just leave. We have tickets for Friday" Owen says.

Alex is sorting their mail during their conversation.

"Look, we all got some mail" he says and throws some letters in front of each of them. George only gets one letter and rips it open. He reads it and turns pale.

"I got an invitation to the Shepherd engagement party this coming Friday."

"You got what?"

"You have similar letters, look" he says and points at one letter each of Alex and Izzy. They look at their letters and opens the specific ones and it is invitations as well.

"Where is Meredith?"

They all look at each other.

"I'll call Shepherd" Alex says and pulls his phone out.

"No, let me" Cristina says. "He sat at his desk today and offered us contracts and giving Meredith puppy-eyes all while he was placing Meredith in the same old situation she was in five years ago by planning this engagement party with the nurse. I can't believe he is that bastard again."

"There was a rumor about the nurse being pregnant" Lexie says.

"Alex, give me the phone." Cristina reaches for Alex ringing phone.

Derek phone rings when he is still at the ferryboat. He looks at it wishing it to be Meredith dreading it to be Rose. The second one he wants to yell at the first he wants to make love to. Instead he sees that it is Alex Karev.

"Hello Dr Karev" he answers. The person in the other end is not Alex and the person is screaming and he pulls the phone away from his ear and looks again at the caller id.

"Who is this?"

"McBastard" he hears and sighs. "Yes Cristina, what did I do now?"

"How can you this to Meredith again? Why do you always need to screw with her mind?"

"I haven't done anything." He defends himself before realizing. The party on Friday.

"Have you also got the invitations?"

"No, but Izzy, Alex and George got them and now Meredith is gone, as well."

"What do you mean gone?"

"She is not here and her stuff is not here."

"Have you tried to call her?"

"No, her phone is charging in the kitchen. She left Joe's after getting a letter Joe told us. She was still trying to make a decision but you seem to have made the decision for her. No way, that she is staying here if you are marrying that nurse."

"Cristina, I am not getting engaged to Rose. I have not proposed to her. I have not seen Meredith since my office. I left for my apartment and emptied it of all my stuff and I have also been trying to cancel this party that Rose has planned without my knowledge."

Derek decides to go back to Seattle and Meredith's house. He really needs to talk to her and make sure she doesn't believe any rumors. When he arrives to the house it is close to midnight but the friends are still sitting in the kitchen arguing about where Meredith can be. They all turn and stare at him. He holds his hands up and says.

"I am not getting engaged to Rose. The only one I want to marry is Meredith. The Webbers told me tonight, after I had the meeting with you guys, about the party. Rose is not pregnant and I have already broken up with her. Now I want to know where Meredith is!"

Meanwhile Meredith has asked a cab to bring her out to Derek's trailer. She needs to hear his explanation before making her final decision. He has not, during theses last three days, given her any sign of lying to her. He has instead told her everything that's been going on with Rose and now this invitation. If she believes he is lying to her she will leave on the next flight and never look back. She is leaning against the rail of the ferryboat. At the moment she can start to think. The only thing on her mind was how Derek could fool her again. He had at their lunch told her that he had broken up with Rose. Still there was this huge party on Friday. Meredith can't wrap her mind around all of this and she wants to speak with him

Her friends at the house are trying to figure out were Meredith can be. They have a couple of options. She can be at the airport going abroad or to New York. Second guess is that she is at the Webbers or in a hotel in Seattle. Third option could be that she's gone to the trailer to talk to Derek. After a heated discussion it is decided that Derek was to go to the trailer to sleep. In the morning Derek is to call the Webbers. Alex and Lizzie are to check on phone numbers to hotel in Seattle and start calling them in the morning. Cristina and Owen are to call their apartment in Geneva and their housekeeper to see if she arrived there. None of the friends sleeps well that night. Derek is paged 911 by the hospital and will have to go there before going to his trailer.


	18. Chapter 20

**Chapter**** 20**

Derek has been in surgery the whole night. When finally the last patient is on the way to post-op, he calls the Webbers but they don't know where Meredith is. Adele tells Derek that she will start phoning everyone on the invitation list.

"I'll call everyone except your family members, Derek" Adele says.

"Family members?"

"Yeah, your mother and your sisters are on this list."

"What?" He has horror in his voice. "My mother is coming?" It took a couple a seconds before he connected the dots. That phone call last weekend when his mother when she had asked about engagement and he had been so happy thinking about Meredith. His mother had been inquiring about Rose. He has to call her right now.

"I have to call my mother now…"

"Yes you better do that"

"… and my sisters as well. Damn it"

"Call me as soon as you know where Meredith is" Adele says and ends the call.

Derek pushes speed dial to his mum but no answer, just voicemail. He tries her cell phone with the same result. Next he tries his oldest sister, Kathleen, the psychiatrist. She answers after a couple of signals.

"Hi, Sis."

"Hi, lover boy." Oh no, he thinks.

"Do you know where mum is?"

"I'm not sure I can tell you."

"It is very important."

"It is? More important then telling our mother about your engagement this Friday?"

"It is about that. I'm not getting engaged!"

"Trouble in paradise?"

"No Kath, I have never proposed to Rose and I never intend to do it either. I broke up with Rose last week. Well actually I took a break from the relationship last week and broke up with her yesterday morning."

"Isn't that a little bit cruel after all the planning for the party?"

"There has never been a party planned. This is something Rose has made up, to force me into marrying her. Yesterday she claimed to be pregnant, which Addie could prove she wasn't." He took a deep breath and continued, "Last night I went to the apartment and there was wedding stuff all over the place and pictures I've never seen before of me and her. It was creepy." New breath. "Yesterday she was scrubbed in at my surgery and faked stomach pain and yelled about the non existent baby while being wheeled out on a gurney. She is crazy but the psych-consult said it was a mild depression."

"But mum spoke with you this Saturday and said that you were so much in love."

"I am very much in love, with Meredith. She came back for her friends' graduation last week."

"Is she in love with you?"

"She said so, but she is missing since last night."

"All her stuff is gone except for her blackberry which is in the kitchen of her old house."

"Can she be home were she lives?"

"She works for the MSF in Darfur right now and if she doesn't take my job offer then I'm going to join them as well."

"I guess you are in love."

"Were you planning to come to the party?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving tomorrow morning with our sisters and their families."

"Don't, come another time and please tell the others the same and mum."

"It is a little bit late for mum since her flight arrives to Seattle in about 3 hours. You will have to tell her in person."

"Oh no, I have to go. Love you Sis."

"Love you back Derbear."

Meredith is trying to sleep in the trailer after using the spare key from its hiding place. She started out sitting on the couch but it was to uncomfortable and has the last couple of hours been laying in bed. Derek's pillow in her arms smelling his hair products. She is trying to sort out the last 24 hours. She had lunch with Derek and he told her about Rose and the fake pregnancy, as did Addison. During the surgery Rose faked pain and yelled about the baby but Derek didn't follow her. He continued doing the surgery. At the bench he hugged her and talked about always being there for her. Then he offered her, Cristina and Owen extra ordinary jobs and telling her that he had sent in his application to the MSF if she wanted him but didn't want to live in Seattle. She got the engagement invitation after Cristina got engaged. Something is wrong in this picture but it feels a little like Addison showing up. Like Derek is hiding something. At the same time he seemed so sincere. He is the love of her life but she might have to live without him. Tears are sliding down her cheeks. Sometime close to dawn she finally falls into a light slumber.

Derek makes a short phone call to the house and leaves an update and receives one. Nothing is the short version. He has to finish up his post-op patients and a mountain of paperwork. Being Chief is the same as meetings, phone calls and problems in a never ending order. He is just happy he has at least four days of surgery every week. The rest of the paper work is handled by his assistant 5 days a week. When he reaches his office he tells his assistant to take him off the surgical board unless something extreme happens. All he has on his mind is Meredith's whereabouts and Rose's. How crazy is Rose? Their apartment was really creepy and her new baby obsession. When had she done all that wedding planning? He thought about Meredith and how she would probably enjoy a city hall wedding or an outside wedding by his trailer and the wedding reception at Joe's. That would be his goal, to get her to their wedding. This thing with Rose had to be solved today if possible. What shift is she going to work today? It must be somewhat similar as his. He really needed to get her to stop all this nonsense. When passing his assistant he tells him he'll be back but needed to find Rose first.

"Wait, Dr Shepherd. Rose called in earlier and said that her morning sickness was bad so she's still at home."

Derek turns around with a baffled face.

"Rose is not pregnant and by the way. She is not and will never become my fiancée. There will not be any party on Friday. I'll be pleased if you could spread that word down the gossip line." He pulls his phone out and calls the apartment. Still no answer. Before returning to his desk the assistant hands him a written note.

"Rose told me to remind you that your mother needs to be met at the airport at 10 am."

Derek reads the note that contains all flight information.

"Great, this day just gets better and better."

He must hurry getting his most important things out of the way so he could take his mother out for lunch and have time to find Meredith.

When Meredith wakes up she makes coffee in the tiny kitchen and brings it along outside to enjoy the sun. She wonders where Derek is but is determined to wait for him. She knows that he is probably in surgery. She would call him and Cristina but she can't find her blackberry. If she doesn't want to walk into the village she is stuck at the trailer.

Cristina is calling Geneva and there is no answer. She then calls the housekeeper Mrs. Müller who promises to go and look in the apartment. Twenty minutes later she gets a return call saying that Meredith is not there. Owen finds Cristina crying on their bed and gives a kiss and a hug.

"Cris, what's wrong?"

"Meredith"

"Is she hurt?"

"I don't know, she is not there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Müller confirmed it."

"We have to tell the others."

"Can you do it?"

"Sure" he says and leaves for the kitchen.

Rose is at home, starting t worry because there has only been a handful of RSVP's this morning. There should be a lot more by now but she comforts herself with that they probably call tonight. Instead she makes an appointment at a beauty parlor for Friday. She needs to check the caterer as well. She makes her ready to go there by car.

Derek is waiting outside the arrivals for his mother to exit when he gets a call from Alex saying that Meredith is not in Geneva. In just that moment his mother walks up to him.

"Derek"

He turns around and there she is. He wraps his arms around her and hugs her tightly.

"Hi mum, welcome to Seattle. I'm so happy to see you"

"Likewise"

"I thought Rose was going to meet me as she said on the phone."

"Mum I really need to talk to you. Can I take your bags and we go somewhere and sit down?"

Cristina is stressing, pacing the living room and Owen is trying to calm her down.

"Cris, this is not good for the baby. You have to calm down."

"I can't, my person is missing!" she sobs.

"We will find her. You are her person and she will contact you." Owen pulls her down beside him on the couch and pulls her close against his side, kissing her hair. Cristina is slowly calming down by his touch and listening to his heartbeat.

Rose is on her way to the caterer and Derek and his mother Mrs. Carolyn Shepherd is driving towards the coffee shop.


	19. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Derek and Mrs. Shepherd stops at a coffee shop. Derek looks at his mother while sipping a large espresso. It's been since Christmas when they last saw each other. This is the first time she is in Seattle.  
"The rain really keeps the city green" Mrs. Shepherd says.  
"Yeah, you get used to the rain after a while."  
"Now Derek, what is this. You don't look happy and last time we spoke you sounded like you were all over the moon in love with this girl."  
"Who do you think I love?"  
"What do you mean? Are there more than one?"  
"No, there is only one girl I love and whom I loved for the last six years."  
"I didn't know that you knew Rose for that long."  
"It is not Rose. It is Meredith" he says with a smile. He can't resist smiling when he says her name.  
"Derek, you better start telling me."  
He starts from the beginning six years ago and continues until he tells her about the last phone call from Alex. Mrs. Shepherd sits there and studies her son's facial expression and feels how her heart reaches out for him. They sit in silent for some time before Derek shakes his mug and asks if she want a refill? When he returns with more coffee and some sandwiches she looks at him with her famous look and she asks.  
"Are you sure about this?"  
"There is only one girl I love and that is Meredith."  
"You have been starting to build a life with this Rose."  
"I have not started that, Rose has started and pushed me into it all."  
"Do you really love Meredith and are you ready to make her understand that?"  
He looks into his mug before answering his mum.  
"She is the love of my life, mum. It is a totally different feeling then I had for Addison."  
"Then you should go and find this girl and leave the rest to me and Mrs. Webber."  
He looks at her in astonishment and says.  
"Mum, I really love you."

Rose is throwing a tantrum at the caterer when she finds out about the cancellation.  
"Who cancelled it?" she yells at the clerk.  
"A Mrs. Webber" the clerk answers looking down into his notes. Rose's head snaps back as being struck.  
"Mrs. Webber, but…" she can't continue the sentence.  
"The party is still on. Mrs. Webber has nothing to do with the organization."  
"OK, then we have made a mistake and we are very sorry for the inconvenient we caused you."  
"I want the same as before with the following changes…" she starts reading from a notebook.  
"We can do that but we will need payment in advance."  
"Charge my fiancé's credit card." She rattles off a number.  
"Sorry Miss, but we are not allowed to let you use that card according to Mrs. Webber but if you have another credit card in your name…"  
"I'll be back in a minute" she snaps at the clerk and pulls her phone out.

"Mum, I have to go to the hospital and make some arrangement. Can you please come?"  
"Yes Derek. I'll love to see your hospital."  
Derek's phone starts ringing and because of heavy traffic he gives it to his mum and asks her to answer.  
"Dr Shepherd's phone" she answers.  
"Who is speaking?" she hears and then she recognizes the voice. "Oh, one minute dear…" and she whisper to Derek "It is Rose."  
"Give it to me."  
"No, you'll drive and I'll talk."  
"Rose dear, this is Mrs. Shepherd. Derek just picked me up at the airport and we are on our way to the hospital."  
"Oh, Mrs. Shepherd, I really need to speak with Derek. I am having trouble with the caterer."  
"What kind of trouble dear?"  
"Credit card trouble"  
"Hold on dear"  
"She is having trouble with the caterer. They won't accept her paying with your credit card."  
"Give me the phone mum."  
"No" she continues in the phone "give me their phone number and I'll call them. You should come to the hospital and meet me."  
"I'll have a couple of errands to do first but I can pick you up at 3 pm."  
"Ok dear, bye dear."  
"Bye Mrs. Shepherd"  
"Tell me" Derek says as he drives into his parking lot. Mrs. Shepherd explains the conversation with Rose and says she will be at the hospital by 3 pm.

The gossip line at the hospital is bursting of rumors about Rose's pregnancy and the party. A lot of people are mad at Derek since he was so cold towards to Rose yesterday during surgery. People are making bets about the engagement and the baby. Those in favor gains a little when the arrival of Mrs. Shepherd is known. Derek brings his mother to his office while making arrangement on his phone for a couple of days of absence. He will have a staff meeting in 15 minutes with department heads and the chief resident. Before that he makes a call to Dr Webber and asks him to fill in for the time being. Richard promise to arrive shortly. Derek's assistant is rearranging all his surgeries. Now, he has to call Cristina and Owen and update them before his meeting and then he will go to the trailer. The staff meeting doesn't take more then 10 minutes. He apologizes for the inconvenient about the engagement party and tells them that it will not be any. He informs them that he will be on leave for a couple of days and Dr Webber will be his stand in. Richard arrives when the meeting is over and promises to take care of the surgical team during his absence. There is a knock on the door and Mrs. Shepherd pokes her head into the office.  
"May I?"  
"Come in mum, meet Dr Richard Webber." Derek turns to his mentor and friend and says;  
"Richard, this is my mother Carolyn Shepherd."  
They exchange greetings.  
"Nice to finally meet you, even during these conditions."  
"Where are you staying Mrs. Shepherd?"  
"Yeah mum, where are you staying?"  
"Rose invited me to stay at your apartment."  
"You can't stay there and my trailer is to far away. I'll book a room at the Archfield."  
"You are welcome to stay with us, me and my wife Adele."  
"I don't want to intrude."  
"It won't be anything of that. We all have a common goal. We want Meredith to be happy and you want Derek to be happy and together we can make them happy. I'll give Adele a call and she can meet you here in 15 minutes."  
"But Rose will be here by 3 pm."  
"Don't worry about her. I'll talk to her." Richard says and calls his wife.

Richard and Carolyn sit down by the coffee-table while Derek finishes some paperwork. There is a knock on the door and the assistant ushers Mrs. Webber inside and Derek makes the introductions.  
"Bye everyone" Derek hugs his mother again and she whisper good luck in his ear.  
"Love you and I'll keep in touch" he says before leaving for his trailer.  
Mrs. Webber and Mrs. Shepherd feel a connection instantly. They start making strategies to solve the situation fast and simple. Richard just shakes his head and returns to the hospital.

When Rose arrives outside the hospital at 3 pm there is no one there that looks like Mrs. Shepherd. Rose doesn't dare to go in since she called in sick in the morning and she gives Mrs. Shepherd a call. There is no answer and she calls Derek's assistant instead and he says.  
"Just a moment"  
Richard answers the phone.  
"Chief of surgery, how can I help?"  
"Derek. I am outside waiting for your mother…"  
"Rose" Richard says.  
Rose stares at her phone when she realizes that it is Dr Webber she is speaking to.  
"Dr Webber where is Derek and where is Mrs. Shepherd?"  
"Rose, Derek is not here. I'm filling in for him and Mrs. Shepherd is not here either."  
"I'm to pick her up. She is staying with us in our apartment."  
"I'm sorry but I can't help you." Richard doesn't know why he but his gut feeling tells him not to reveal where either Derek or Mrs. Shepherd is.

Owen and Cristina are alone at the house. Owen sneaks up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. She has her hair up the way he loves it.  
"How are you Cris?"  
"I'm worried about Meredith. What if she doesn't want to accept her contract? What if she doesn't want the same? Why did she leave without a word? She and Shepherd didn't have any fallout according to him."  
"I think we'll be alone for at least another hour and I know of something to do to keep us distracted."  
"What?"  
He leans in and whisper in her ear while his hands slowly lift her top.

After Meredith has finished her coffee she decides to take a shower. Meredith still feels confused about Rose and the action from the last 24 hours. Derek enters the trailer and hears the shower. He looks around and can see that his bed has been slept in and an unknown bag is left by the foot of the bed. When stepping closer he inhales the scent of lavender and a weight falls from his shoulders. She is here in his trailer and by the look of it, she has been here the whole night. He speed dials his mum and tells her the news and asks that they spread the news to Meredith's friends. When the water is turned off he ends the conversation and sits down on the bed waiting for Meredith to exit the tiny bathroom. She exits only dressed in a towel and looks as tempting as ever.  
"This is a sight I'll never be tired of seeing" he says with his McDreamy smile.  
Meredith jumps but returns his smile when she realizes that it is Derek.  
"I didn't hear you arrive. Sorry for using your trailer without asking… but I thought you would be home last night and the I forgot my blackberry in the house… and I needed a shower and now you are here… and I wanted to talk to you before making my final decision…" she rambles until Derek grabs her by her waist and pulls her into his lap and kisses her.

Rose is back the apartment. All the planning around her comforts her. It is when she walks by Derek's home office she notice that the door isn't closed anymore. She takes a look. It is almost as it uses to be but for an empty shelf. All the family pictures of the Shepherds are missing. The photo of her on the desk is still in its place. The home file cabinet has an open drawer. All of Derek's files are missing. She runs into the bedroom. His drawers are empty along with his closet. There are only a couple of suits and shirts that he seldom use. The more she looks around the more she notice is missing but only things that has a personal meaning to Derek. When the truth finally sinks in she gets really mad. Anger starts to boil inside of her.

Mrs. Webber and Mrs. Shepherd split the calls that need to be made in order to cancel the party. Whenever possible they talk about Meredith and Derek. Mrs. Shepherd learns a lot about her son's relationship before Addison arrived and how it was before Meredith left and Derek and Addison tried to save their marriage. When Richard comes home Adele and Carolyn has become best friends.  
"It is wonderful to get to know so much about Derek's life here in Seattle."  
"Do you know Carolyn what we should do? We should throw a small dinner party for them and their friends and get to know even more. Dr Hunt, Dr Yang and Meredith will be returning to Africa on Friday and their friends are probably doing something for them on Thursday. Maybe they can come here tomorrow."

Meredith slowly breaks the kiss when she fells the evidence of Derek's arousal and stands up securing the towel around her.  
"We need to talk, but first I need to get dressed and I would like to call Cristina if you don't mind me using your phone."  
Derek nods slowly and rises from the bed. He hands her his phone and walks outside to give her some privacy to get dressed. It is too early to stay and watch and if he stays he will probably need a very cold shower.

Cristina is almost asleep after having multiple orgasms when a phone goes off. Owen stumbles up and sorts through their cloths until he finds the phone under their bed. He looks at the caller id and answers.  
"Hi Derek, oh hi Meredith" before he can hear a respond the phone is ripped out of his hand.  
"Mer, are you Ok?"  
"Hi Cristina, yes I'm Ok."  
"Why did you leave without telling me?"  
"I needed to speak with Derek."  
"What?" Meredith tells her the whole story about the invitation she had got at Joe's and her need to talk to Derek.  
"Mer" Cristina is silenced a moment and thinks through her options before she continues. "Owen and I are accepting the contracts and we are keeping the baby. I want this baby."  
"You do?"  
"Yes and I need you here to pull me through. I need you to be here as my person.

Meredith steps outside to the porch where Derek is sitting reading a fishing journal. He looks up at her and smiles.  
"You look beautiful" he says.  
"Thank you" she smiles back at his blue, brilliant and sparkling eyes.  
"So… you want to talk" he swallows his fear of what she will say.  
"Yeah" she fiddles with her watch before looking him square in the eyes. "Are you getting engaged on Friday?"  
"No, not unless you want to get engaged on Friday" he answers and continues "Meredith, Rose has started all this as a way to try and get me back. I heard about it for the first time last night after you left my office."  
Meredith is looking into his eyes and can see that he is telling the truth.  
"Do you mean all what you said these last couple of days?"  
"Yes, every single word. I have been so worried about you these last twenty hours when we didn't know where you were. I love you so very much. I have taken a couple of days off from the hospital and Richard is standing in for me because I needed to find you. Please come with me for forty eight uninterrupted hours. Let's go somewhere and talk and just be together these last couple of days, before you leave."  
Meredith looks at him for a long time before she nods. Derek sweeps her into his arms and hugs her close.  
"I have one condition" she says.  
"What?"  
"We take it slow, very slow and start with talking."  
Derek nods and picks up the phone to call a spa outside Seattle. When he hangs up he gets a call from Mrs. Webber asking him and Meredith to join them and their friends for dinner the following evening at the Webbers. He looks over at Meredith and declines with the excuse that they have already made other plans.

"She may not accept!" Cristina sits down and cries. Owen who is getting dressed pulls her into his arms.  
"Maybe Derek can solve this when he answers her questions about Rose and the engagement party."  
"What if he can't fix it?"  
"Have faith. I have faith in them. Their love is something else, something special. Let's go and talk to the others. They are back."  
Alex is just finishing a phone call when they enter the living room together.  
"We are all invited to the Webbers tomorrow, dinner at 8 pm."


	20. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Derek and Meredith are driving in silence towards the spa, each of them deep into their own thoughts. He is pondering about their future. He wants to spend it with Meredith. He wants to marry her, build a house on his land, have kids with her and die in her arms at the age of 110. Meredith wants this getaway to be a new beginning. Why can't she just trust him? Why is she always assuming the worst? Everything felt so good the last few days and then…boom … the engagement party and the fake pregnancy and now Cristina is moving here with Owen. Can she work in the same hospital as that nurse?

Cristina and Owen have a lot of stuff to take care of during Wednesday and they also want to check out houses in the area. Owen wants something with a backyard and Cristina wants to live close by the hospital. Their realestate assistant is sighing deeply. Their wishes will not be easy to meet. She shows them a couple of prospects during the afternoon.

It is late when they finally arrive to the spa. Derek follows the instructions from the reception and stops in front of their room. He looks at Meredith once more and asks again.  
"Are you sure about sharing?"  
She nods with a small smile and replies.  
"We are adults and we can share a room and take this slow at the same time, right?"  
"Yeah" he answers and caresses her cheek. "Just as long as you understand my upcoming need for extremely long cold showers."

Rose is in a blind rage. Every plan she has made, every reservation is cancelled and she can't get in contact with Derek. Dr Webber is in his office saying that Derek is on a consult. The same says his assistant. After driving past the Webbers she knows that Mrs. Shepherd is still there. A drive by Meredith friends confirms that at least Dr Hunt is still there. She calls a nurse at the hospital and gets an update on the gossip line. There are both rumors about her pregnancy and the cancelled engagement party. People are saying that Dr Shepherd got cold feet. Everybody believes that he is on a consult but no one knows where to. Rose really needs to find out and Meredith's friends are always chatty. She parks her car at their street and observes the drive way. Maybe if she gets close enough she get to overhear some conversations.

Alex is walking down the street with Owen when his phone rings.  
"It's Derek" he says to Owen.  
"Hi Dr Shepherd, how is the spa?"  
"Rainy like Seattle"  
"Talked to Meredith yet?"  
"Yeah, but she just wanted you guys to know that we arrived safely. I also want to make sure you don't tell anyone were we are, especially you know who."  
"Great, I'll spread the word. That crazy plant is not going to get what she wants."  
"Bye Alex, talk to you in a few days."  
"Bye Derek."  
Alex hangs up the phone and explains to Owen. Neither one sees the dark-haired woman in the car across the street.

Rose has trouble focusing. That lying son of a bitch he has gone away to a spa with the slutty bitch. He is not on a consult. They must be punished for that.

Derek hangs up and sits down beside Meredith on the couch.  
"What happened, Mer? Why did you leave without telling somebody, telling me? I thought we were moving towards something."  
"I wasn't planning on leaving until Friday. The invitation made me want to talk to you."  
"Rose is a crazy full-blown psycho" he says. Meredith stares at him. He continues telling her about the engagement party and how he had found out about it. How Adele and his mother who was invited to the party are helping stopping it. He tells her about the invitation list and about the apartment and that he picked up all his stuff. Meredith is resting on his shoulder and his arm keeps her tightly secured to his side. He strokes her hair with one hand while he slowly rubs her back with the other.  
"I love you Meredith and I want to fix this."  
"I will never be able to work at a hospital where she is."  
"Then I'm going to get the board to fire her."  
"But she would still be in Seattle."  
"We can work for the MSF together and then decide together were to move in the world."  
"But Cristina and Owen are keeping the baby and they are going to accept their contracts."  
"Together we can find a solution but right now all I want is to sit here and breathe you in."  
"OK"  
They are both tired and soon falls asleep snuggled together. Derek wakes up after a while and pushes her down on the couch and spoons her. There is a throw on the back of the couch and he pulls that over them wrapping her in his arms. He kisses her neck and breathes in her scent of lavender and is soon asleep again.

At Meredith's house the friends are playing board games. Rose is sitting in her car watching the people inside the open window. She has her side window rolled down and can hear them talking. They are loud and noisy, not at all the sophisticated people she and Derek are going to entertain. Their parties will consist of elegant dinners and drinks with other high ranking people. She can see it all. Suddenly the front is opened and Drs Hunt and Yang is on the doorstep, making out. How very disgusting, her guest will never behave so impropriety. She can hear them talk and suddenly she hears Cristina say the slut's name.  
"Meredith and Derek will not be joining us at the Webbers tomorrow night. They are staying at the spa."  
"Yeah, they need their time together after all these mishaps the nurse has pulled on them."

Rose gets so mad that red is all she visibly can see. After a deep breathe she clears her vision enough to be able to see again. Derek and the slut must be punished and she knows just how and when. She speeds off in a hurry.


	21. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Rose is sitting in her car a couple of houses down the street from the Webbers. She makes herself ready to exit her car when a black Jaguar glides up and parks in the Webbers driveway and out steps Addison and Mark Sloan. Two more cars arrive. It is all of the slut's friends. She sits back and watches how they are all meet at the door by the Webbers and a woman that must be Mrs. Shepherd. The street gets quiet again. I need to get into that house, she thinks. Making sure she has what she needs in her coat-pocket she steps out of the car and sneaks up to the house. She can see that everyone is gathering in the dinning room. She knows the house since the Christmas party she and Derek went to last year. Everyone inside seems to have a nice time laughing and smiling. Suddenly the patio doors are opened and Dr Webber says it's a nice evening and that they need some more air inside. Rose slides deeper into the shadows and moves slowly towards the kitchen door. Nobody is in the kitchen and she carefully opens the door, slides in and closes it behind her. There is a loud signal from the kitchen. Steps are heard in the hall moving towards the kitchen and Mrs. Webber's voice.  
"I'll get the garlic bread, just one moment."  
Rose is hiding behind the door to the laundry room. Adele returns with the bread to the others. They are talking about Meredith and Derek and their first months together. Mrs. Shepherd tells the other a funny story about Mark and Derek. Mark tries to blame it on Derek but the rest don't believe him. The meal continues and Rose listens in. She learns a lot about Derek and Meredith. The Webbers seams to have known her since ever. That is news to Rose. The dessert is being served and coffee is being poured. Cristina asks for tea and Mrs. Shepherd walks into the kitchen to get her some. Owen is telling everybody about the baby and that they will accept the contracts while caressing Cristina's hand under the table.  
"This we need to celebrate properly" Richard says and stands up. There is loud crash heard from the kitchen.

When Carolyn steps into the kitchen to fetch a cup of tea for Cristina Rose steps out from behind the door and sneaks up behind her. She puts the scalpel she had in her pocket against the carotid artery in Carolyn's neck. Carolyn drops the cup she is holding.  
"Nice to finally meet you Mrs. Shepherd" Rose says in a pleasant voice.  
"Rose is that you?" Carolyn can't se the woman's face but recognizes her voice.  
"Yes it is me, the future Mrs. Shepherd, your soon to be daughter-in-law. Now let's go and say hi to the other guests. "  
While keeping the scalpel pressed to Carolyn's neck they slowly move towards the dining room. Richard is halfway through the hallway when they meet.  
"Rose, what are you doing? Put that scalpel down!"  
"Don't think so Dr Webber. Get everybody seated around the table again, Sir."  
Richard walks backwards into the room.  
"Please sit down everybody, we got company" he says before seating himself at the head of the table. Everybody stares at Carolyn and Rose who are entering behind Richard. Carolyn gets pushed down into her seat and Rose looks around the table. They all look like fishes on dry land with open mouths and staring eyes. Rose picks up a roll of duck tape from her pocket and throws it at Lexie. Tape everybody's hands behind the back of the chairs.  
"No"  
"Did you just say no?" Rose puts a little bit of pressure on the scalpel and nicks the skin enough to draw blood.  
"I'll do it" Lexie hurries up and starts with George who is sitting beside her.  
"It's Ok Lexie, just do what she says for now. I love you."  
"No talking and hurry up. We have a phone call to make and an engagement to celebrate."  
Everybody around the table look at each other, now they all know that there is a very crazy person in the room.

Meredith and Derek had woken up in each others arms and Derek had to start the morning with a cold shower. They spent the morning lingering over breakfast and a long walk. After a late lunch Derek surprised Meredith with a couple massage and afterwards they fell asleep wrapped into each others arms on the bed. Meredith woke up first and just lays there listening to Derek's hearth beat. Her hand is slowly stroking his chest but when it travels further down Derek's hand grabs her hand with a strangled growl.  
"If you don't stop that you'll have to be aware of the consequences. I'm no fan of cold showers."  
Meredith looks up into his eyes and slowly entangles her hand from his and this time strokes him deliberately down his tense thigh. Derek responds with a growl and flips her on her back in one smooth move. His lips crash on hers while his hands roam her body. Meredith's hands sneaks under his robe and finally their robes open and they have skin contact. Their kisses turn more and more passionate and they moan into each others mouth's.  
"Are you sure about this?" he finally whispers and Meredith responds by wrapping her long and slender fingers around him.

When Lexie is done Rose orders her to sit as well and then tapes her up as the others. Now she can put the scalpel down. Rose looks around the table and tries to make the right decision.  
"Dr Sloan, in which pocket is your phone?"  
"The right one, why?"  
"I'm going to make a phone call. She walks around the table and picks it up.  
"What number to speed-dial Derek?"  
He doesn't answer. Rose walks back to Mrs. Shepherd and picks up the scalpel.  
"2" he answers.  
Rose makes the call with the speakers on.

Derek wakes up by his phone. He takes a look at the caller id, Mark. He lets it go to voicemail and snuggles up even closer to Meredith. Meredith's butt is pressed against his crotch and he starts to caress her back. A hand slips around her waist and sneaks up under her breast. Her skin is so very soft. His fingers start to trail up along her ribcage and he is kissing her neck and earlobe when the phone starts ringing again. Derek grabs the phone again to once more move the call to voicemail. He glares at the caller id, Addison. Meredith stirs and asks.  
"Who?"  
"Addison"  
"What does she want?"  
"I don't want to know."  
"Answer and get rid of her, please."  
"Hello Addison, this better be important."  
"You need to come back here now!"  
"What? Why? Is it mum? Is she sick?"

Everyone around the table has heard when Derek's voice went from sleepy to full alert.  
"Mum is OK for now" Mark looks at Carolyn.  
"Mark, tell me why you are calling."  
"Yes tell him" Rose says.  
"Where are you? Who is with you? Was that Rose?  
"We are at the Webbers together with Meredith's friends and Rose showed up during dessert." Mark takes a deep breath but Alex interrupts.  
"Rose is holding a scalpel against your mother's neck."  
"What!!!" Derek screams. "Rose, what the hell are you doing?"  
"Calm down Derek. Now!" Rose says.  
They can all hear Derek's heavy breathing.

Meredith is staring at Derek.  
"What is happening?"  
Derek grabs a pen from the table and scribbles. She leans forward and reads it. 'Call Seattle PD, Code White, the Webbers'. Meredith runs to the desk and the phone. What is code White? She phones the operator and places a call to the Seattle Police. At first they don't want to believe her. How can she know of a Code White in Seattle when she is at a spa outside Seattle? Finally they agree to send a car over to check it out. When Meredith looks back at Derek she can see him still on the phone putting his clothes on. When he sees her looking at him he says.  
"I'm on my way now. I will get to Seattle and then we will be engaged but only if you don't hurt anyone."  
Someone is talking to him but Meredith can't hear.  
"She will not be going to Seattle. She will go to Darfur where she works. I will not say a word to her."  
Derek has been writing something the whole time and leans towards her and gives her a silent kiss while giving her the paper before running out the door. Meredith reads the note a makes a new call to the police and crawls then onto the couch and cries. She feels so helpless.

Rose feels very happy when Derek tells everyone around the table that they will be engaged. She pulls a chair up to the table between Carolyn and Lexie. She grabs Lexie's coffee and Carolyn's dessert and begins to eat while listening to Derek getting into his car. After about 15 minutes the house phone rings in the Webber resident.  
"Don't answer" Rose says. A minute later Richard's cell phone rings and then Adele's purse starts to move around on the table in the hall.  
"We don't need interruptions. Your friends can wait until Derek arrives" Rose says while licking the Panna Cotta from her spoon.  
"This is delicious, you should try it."

The first police to arrive has made a walk around the house and seen people in the dining room. They called for back-up. It was a Code White, hostage situation. They have seen that hands are taped behind the chairs but for a woman eating dessert. A scalpel is on the table together with two phones. They count 9 hostages and one offender.

Meredith's phone rings again and she answers. It is the police again. She explains the situation one more time and what has happened before during the week and what demands she know of. Ninety minutes later Derek walks up to an officer standing at the road a couple of houses down from the Webbers. There is a police officer in the car who looks at him and then on a computer screen. The officer stays by his side while Derek runs towards the house.  
A man dressed in civil clothes stops him just a couple a meters from the Webbers driveway.  
"Dr Shepherd"  
"Yes"  
"I am John Schwartz from the Seattle Police Department and I'm the negotiator. We are here to assist you in anyway we can."

Rose is sitting by the table doing small talk like she is at a normal dinner. There is little response from the others. Izzy tries to talk to her but Rose is either ignorant or yells at her to shut up. Rose is more interested in talking to Carolyn about the engagement party. After she becomes sure Derek is on his way she becomes confident. After about an hour Addison's phone rings. It is still on the table along with Mark's. Rose answers believing it to be Derek.  
"Hi honey, I can't wait for you to come."  
"Who is this?"  
"Who are you?"  
"My name is Edward Hansen and I work for the Seattle Police Department. I want to know if everyone is doing well."  
"Why shouldn't we? The Panna Cotta is delicious and we have coffee."  
"Is there anything we can do for you?"  
"Bring my fiancé here."  
"What's your name miss? What can I call you?"  
"You can call me Rose. In September I will be Mrs. Shepherd."  
"Thank you Rose. You can call me Eddy."  
"Why should I call you that? I don't want to talk to you. I want more Panna Cotta."  
Rose hangs up the phone. Those that could see through the windows could see shadows passing in the dark of the garden. Another 30 minutes passes and the negotiator Eddy tries to get Rose to talk a couple of times. Addison can't take it anymore.  
"Rose, I need to use the bathroom."  
"No"  
"Yes I do, otherwise I will have to do it here in my pants and that isn't very classy."  
"You're right, it wouldn't be very classy. I will cut you lose and you are allowed to use the downstairs bath and don't close the door. After Addison each of the others are allowed restroom time. Alex leaves his phone on the shelf in the bathroom on an open line to 911 with the speakers off. Richard sees it and leaves his phone in a bowl in the hallway. Lexie and George put theirs in their pocket. Cristina and Owen were last. Cristina was cut loose and when she was to sit down again they all heard a crackling sound from the kitchen. One of the officers had accidently step on the shards from the broken cup while sneaking inside the same way as Rose did. Rose who had the scalpel ready to cut a piece of duck tape to use on Cristina jumps over to Mrs. Shepherd and points the scalpel at her neck again.  
"No" yells Mark as Rose cuts into the artery. Time stops to gain momentum and then time speed up to maximum speed in a second. There is a lot of movement. An officer shoots Rose through the patio doors and she falls sideways with the bloody scalpel still in her hand. Mrs. Shepherd falls forward with blood flowing from her neck. Cristina jumps up and applies pressure on the wound yelling for paramedics. Officers followed close by Derek enter the room from every possible access and helps free the sitting doctors. Owen is by Cristina's side in a flash. When the paramedics arrive Mark grabs a bag and rips it open in search for bandages and a suture kit. Together they make a field repair that will hold until they can get Carolyn into surgery. Rose is lying on the floor and is attended by a paramedic. None of the doctors gives her a look. She is getting trouble breathing but none of the doctors' care. She is wheeled to a second ambulance and is handcuffed to the rail of the stretcher. The first ambulance has already left with Mrs. Shepherd together with Derek, Cristina, Owen and Mark squeezed into the back.

Richards voice takes over in the dining room.  
"Is everybody OK?"  
He is standing there with his arms tightly wrapped around Adele. The rest is gathering in small groups but look at him and nods. The police officer in charge enters the room.  
"Before you can leave tonight we want you to leave a preliminary statement of this evening's event. I know that you all want to go to the hospital so I hope we can do this quickly. Addison asks to go first.

The surgery went flawless and Mark drops the needle into a scrub nurse hand after the last suture. He and Cristina look at each other with tired smiles.  
"Thank you everyone for your job tonight." Mark says.

Mrs. Shepherd is wheeled to recovery and Cristina and Mark goes in search for the rest. Outside the waiting room they are asked to leave their statements before meeting the others. Cristina and the rest watches Rose surgery from the gallery and Richard returns home to Adele who stayed with the police.

Derek has been trying to relax and is dosing in a chair outside the OR when Mark shakes him awake.  
"Derek, she is out of surgery."  
He scrambles to his feet and follows Mark into recovery.  
"How is she?"  
"Derek, your mother's carotid artery was cut with a scalpel. Cristina Yang was able to stop the bleeding within half a minute. Carolyn lost more then one and a half liters of blood. Dr Hunt and I helped her as soon as we were released from our chairs. Hunt is now supervising the resident performing Rose surgery but she will probably never walk again. One bullet is stuck in her spine."  
"I really don't care about Rose right now. My thoughts are with mum. Mark, please make my sisters know. I have to call Meredith."  
"I will Derek."  
"Thank you Mark."

Meredith is still in their room at the spa. The phone rings again. This time it's Derek. He tells her about what happened during their friends dinner and what happened to his mother.  
"I love you and want you here Meredith. A car will pick you up in an hour and drive you here."  
" Thank you and tell everybody that I am so sorry I put them all in this situation."  
"How are this, your fault?"  
"If it wasn't for me going to the graduation… Rose wouldn't have been planning your engagement party this Friday."  
"That is crap and you know it. I love you, not Rose and I wouldn't have proposed to her. All this was in her crazy head."  
"But Rose did this because of me."  
"No she did it because she is crazy. Sane people don't do things like this. Do you think I would propose to a crazy woman like that and my friends and family would support me?"

When Derek's sisters arrive to Seattle it is almost noon. Carolyn is awake but tired.  
"Mum, children are supposed to give their parents grey hair not the other way around." Mark enters the room with a smile. "And how are my favorite girls?" he asks the Shepherd sisters.  
Derek leaves the after giving his mother a peck on her cheek. There is an officer outside Rose's room. He is not allowed in because of his involvement in it all but he grabs her chart. The resident in charge has done what he could but it would not be enough. After checking her films Derek knows that only a handful of neurosurgeons in the world would have managed to fix her spine and he and Meredith are two of them. None of the others are in the States. He tries again to contact Meredith but she doesn't answer her phone. She hasn't spoken to him since last night. She arrived to the hospital and they talked for a couple of minutes and then she left with Izzy and Alex. He knows that she is blaming herself even though he, Mark, Addison, Richard and Cristina are telling her otherwise.


	22. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Ten weeks later**.

Cristina is looking out of the airplane window. The sky is blue but there is a grey cloud covering the ground. From sun to rain, why did she choose to work in Seattle? She is not complaining but baffled. She looks at her left hand with a small golden wedding band that is covering a similar ring on Owen's hand. His hand is resting on her stomach, feeling the baby moving around. Their baby, she never thought she would get married or become a mother. Not after the almost wedding to Burke. But she did, in Geneva, a month ago. They went to the embassy with Meredith and Derek as their witnesses and celebrated with a nice dinner. Owen took her to Istanbul for a week long honeymoon. It was on their last two week vacation from the MSF. Now she will become Head of Cardio thorax and Owen Head of Trauma at Seattle Grace Hospital.

Izzy and Lexie are at Joe's preparing for a welcome and wedding party. They didn't have the opportunity to be at Cristina and Owen's wedding and wants to celebrate them now.  
"Who have you invited?" Lexie asks Izzy.  
"Not that many… just some guys that started internship with us and some nurses… oh and some of our residents… and attendings… and the Webbers… and the Sloans."  
"Izzy, this party is huge. Do you think they'll like it?"  
Alex is coming to fetch them and drive them home.  
"Are you not going a little too far? He asks ogling the white banners, bows and balloons.  
"It's a wedding party" Izzy defends herself.  
"Joe, we will be back with the happy couple in a couple of hours."  
"Bye Alex, bye ladies"

Derek is leaving his mother's attorney and Rose has nothing to gain on a retrial. Rose is sentenced to 25 years in prison and she will never walk again. She can not lift her arms and can only control her fingers in her left hand. He feels relieved that it is finally over. The last ten weeks has been pure stress and hell. He spent hours after hours in court. His mother recovered nicely but had to stay for four weeks at the Webbers until the hearing amd trial was over. They flew together to New York and he had continued to Geneva to attend Cristina and Owen's wedding. After hours on the phone Meredith finally accepted that the hostage situation was not her fault and understood that no one blamed her. His mother has also had a long talk with her about the subject. He got her to accept his love and after Yang and Hunt's wedding they had celebrated their own commitment for hours in her bed. Tomorrow morning is he booked on a flight to Paris to meet Meredith there for a week vacation. She has one more session with the MSF before she can leave due to the fact that she didn't resign until Rose's sentence was final. This afternoon is he to pick up Cristina and Owen at the airport, since all of their friends are scheduled to work. If he doesn't hurry he'll be late.

When he arrives to the airport he sees a black Jaguar that speeds off and leaves a perfect parking lot for him. He makes his way towards arrivals. He knows he is late but can't see them. They must have a lot of luggage and are probably waiting for their last bags. He finds an empty seat and starts fiddling with his blackberry in an attempt to IM Meredith. The phone signals an incoming IM from Meredith.  
'Do you want to marry me?'  
'Yes'  
Suddenly, the air smells of lavender.  
'When?'  
'As soon as possible'  
"Lets go to City Hall" he hears from behind. He turns around and there is the most beautiful woman in the world. Meredith is dressed in a lavender dress holding her blackberry. He jumps over the bench and wraps his arms around her.  
"You are here!" he says and captures her lips in lingering kiss. Her hair smells of lavender and she fits so perfectly in his arms. "When did you decide to come? What about Paris?"  
"Last week when my boss let me out of my contract a month earlier then planned. I don't want Paris. I want you in the trailer" she says with a seductive smile.  
"You don't have to go back?"  
"No, I'm here ready to start as soon as my new boss wants me to."  
"Where are Cristina and Owen? I'm supposed to pick them up."  
"Addison picked them up a couple of minutes ago."  
"She did! She knew you were coming?"  
"Yes" she smiles and continues "do you still want to marry me?"  
He kisses her again and whispers with his forehead resting against her forehead.  
"I do, yes I do."  
"Then we have to go. We have an appointment in City Hall in 40 minutes.  
"We do?" he says with a smile and continues "yes, we do" and pulls her along towards the car.

Derek has trouble driving as he has difficulties to let go of her left hand. She amazes him. They make it in time and in the wedding room is Mark waiting along with Cristina. Mark hands him a small box containing two wedding bands and Cristina hands Meredith a lovely bouquet of lavender and baby breathe. Seated are Richard and Adele Webber, Addison, Owen and Lexie together with the largest surprise, his mother. She sends him a smile. Derek's eyes starts to water. He can't believe Meredith has done this for him. When he looks at her smile he can't help but smiling back while tears of joy slides down his cheek. Meredith leans into him and whispers.  
"If you don't stop crying everybody will believe that I'm forcing you into this marriage."  
"I'm just so happy, I can't believe that you made all this for me, for us."  
"I love you" Meredith simply replies.

After the ceremony they all arrive to Joe's bar where the rest of their friends meet them, celebrating not one but two wedding couples. Meredith is nursing her glass of champagne as does Cristina. When Derek tries to refill her glass she puts her hand over it and whispers in his ear.  
"Pregnancy is not compatible with alcohol."  
She can see him process the information so she adds.  
"5 weeks tomorrow and I will need a stand in for Head of Neuro during a couple of month next spring and summer. Derek places his left hand, adorn with a wedding band in platinum, on her stomach, tilts his head a little and says with a McDreamy smile.  
"You are the love of my life."

**The End**

**~mcanna~**


End file.
